Vindicated
by We Stole Vodka From The Optic
Summary: What if the killer wasn't the killer? The murders in Inaba continue and Adachi is set free. Now, it's up to Adachi and the Investigation Team to unravel the true secrets behind the case. The Truth will be realized, and it will shake Inaba to its very core
1. Wasn't Me This Time

**12/18/09 - I've gone back and put proper paragraph breaks where there used to be a ~Vindicated~ symbol. :) I've also placed my author notes at the bottom of the chapters, with minor author notes at the top.**

**11/12/09 - Special thanks to CrimsonMoon667 for letting me borrow her ideas. I strongly suggest reading her story, 'Misery Loves Company'. She's a great writer, who deserves tons of reviews and praise. A lot of the first-half of this arc were her original ideas, and she has been kind enough to let me borrow them. I've used her dialogue from her first story, 'To Obtain The Truth', with her permission. Again, thank you, CrimsonMoon667.**

**I suggest reading this story in 1/2 format, for maximum enjoyability.  
**

Vindicated

Chapter 1: Wasn't Me This Time

_Well, I may be a sinner…_

_But it wasn't me this time!_

_

* * *

  
_

A young woman's body hung limply from the wiring of the telephone pole, casting a dark, twisted shadow on the ground below. Ryotaro Dojima, a Lieutenant of the Inaba PD, looked up at it, his narrow eyes beholding a mixture of surprise and anger. There was a new killing, yet the killer was behind bars in Tokyo.

A second man slammed the passenger door of a police car shut, and strode up to stand beside Ryotaro Dojima, holding a clipboard with shaky, pale hands. The second man was tall, handsome and had eyes the color of the fog that enveloped the crime scene.

"Detective Dojima…?" The second man whispered Dojima's name, looking at him with unsteady eyes. "Time of death?"

Ryotaro Dojima curled his fingers around the collar of the jacket he slung over one shoulder. He thought they'd caught the bastard… no, he _knew full well _that they'd caught the bastard. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, he replied, with a heavy voice,

"April 11, 2012…" The second man scribbled something on the clipboard. "Approximately 4:00 AM." The second man nodded, and added the time next to the date. He looked up from the clipboard, cast a weary look at the dangling body and asked,

"Victim?"

Dojima sighed, pulled a cigarette from the pack and lit it with a lighter he'd pulled from another pocket,

"Ai Ebihara. Age: 17. Be sure to write that down, Detective Takano."

* * *

Vindicated.

Definition: To be absolved of all guilt.

Vindicated, was not a feeling Tohru Adachi felt as he sat down in the interrogation room of the Tokyo PD, lacing his fingers together under the platinum table as an elderly detective pulled out his case file. This was the third time Adachi was interrogated about last year's murder case in Inaba in the last week, and the skinny detective had no clue why the Tokyo PD couldn't just let the case rest. Adachi did the killings. He said he did, yet here he was, sitting in an interrogation room with a veteran detective.

The chief of the Tokyo PD pulled a manila folder from a steel cabinet, and tossed it onto the table, where it skittered to a halt in front of Adachi. Adachi didn't even have to glance at the little scribbling in the corner to know what it was. It was the murder case file for Inaba's murders, and it was a good three inches thick with victim identification papers and Shirogane's research.

The chief of the Tokyo Police, Minato Tohma sat down in the chair opposite of Adachi, folding his hands on the table much like Adachi was doing below the table. Detective Tohma stated, in a matter-of-fact voice,

"We've been over every detail in Inaba's murder case. And you, Detective Adachi, don't fit into it anywhere." Adachi laced his fingers tighter together under the table, and regarded Tohma with a harsh, black look. He did kill them. He remembered Mayumi's high scream, and Saki's choked confusion.

Adachi murdered them!

"I," Detective Tohma continued, staring at Adachi, as if trying to analyze every move the younger detective made. "Don't think you killed them, _Detective _Adachi."

"_Is he serious?" _Adachi resisted the urge to laugh. _"Why can't they just let the case rest? It's over, case closed. I killed them; I admitted it for God's sake."_

Adachi lowered his head, so that strands of black hair made a veil over his narrowed eyes. He replied, plainly and monotonously,

"I killed them, sir. Both Konishi and Yamano."

Tohma stood up, and laced his fingers behind his back. Adachi lifted his head, so that their eyes locked. Detective Tohma declared, smiling strangely,

"I beg to differ, Detective Adachi. I don't think you killed them. And there is no evidence that even says you killed them."

"_Of course there isn't, dumbass!" _Adachi wanted to yell at the older, elderly detective. _"You ever heard of the Midnight Channel!? Loser!"_

But Adachi smiled a smile that didn't touch his eyes and he retorted, with a slightly sneering undertone,

"I _am_ a _detective_, sir. I can use my position to destroy crucial evidence."

Tohma smiled as if he were expecting this and prodded the manila envelope with a thick, fat finger. His eyes twinkled dangerously, and he rubbed at his walrus mustache with his other hand,

"No, you _didn't, _Detective Adachi. Because if you _had _killed them, then why in the _hell _was there another killing reported. Just like the first two, but not like the copycat killing. I am telling you, and you'd better listen, that you are not the true culprit. There's someone else out there that's been killing them."

Tohma turned to another steel cabinet in the interrogation room, and pulled a piece of paper from the top. He tossed onto the table, where it landed a few feet away from Adachi.

_Victim: Ebihara, Ai. 17._

_Cause of death: Undetermined._

_Time of death: Estimated 4:00 AM._

This news, surprised Adachi, whose fingers laced painfully together under the table. Another killing. Just like Yamano's and Konishi's. And Adachi knew, full well, that it was done via the same way he'd killed Yamano and Konishi. Through the TV.

But he'd be damned before he'd tell the old fart what he knew.

"I see you're surprised." Tohma said, again in a matter-of-fact voice. He sat back down. "That expression is all the evidence I need."

Adachi glared at him malignly. Another killing. Another killing through the TV… was the case really not over yet? Adachi turned his gaze back to the murder report, and read on,

_Body was found hanging upside-down from the telephone pole near Konishi Liquors._

Yes, that was it. The case really wasn't over…

There was another killer?

"Wait, there's another surprise." Tohma stood and Adachi's gaze followed him as Tohma paced around the interrogation room.

"We're putting you back on the case. You're going back to Inaba, proven innocent, and you're going to solve this. Once and for all."

Those words made something snap in Adachi, and he stood abruptly up, knocking his chair over where it fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Tohma turned to Adachi as Adachi yelled out,

"Y-You can't be serious! I-I killed them! I did this!"

Tohma strode over, and grabbed Adachi by the collar of his orange jumper. For an elderly man, he was strong, and Adachi's feet dangled a few feet from the ground as Tohma lifted him up. Tohma spat, in a hissing voice,

"If you did this, then explain why the hell there's another murder! _Exactly _like the first two! Why, Adachi!?"

Adachi grabbed the hands that lifted him up and scoffed,

"I don't know! It… makes no sense!"

Tohma let go of the collar, and Adachi keeled over, coughing and wheezing for air. Holding his throat, Adachi glared at Tohma who loomed over Adachi like an angry storm cloud. Tohma turned around, and headed for the door, but not without saying, in clipped tones,

"You'll be heading back to Inaba within the week. We're going to be announcing your innocence over the news, so don't worry about having to explain to everyone why you're there."

Tohma left, and slammed the door behind him, leaving Adachi to his thoughts. Picking up the chair that fell, Adachi collapsed in it, glaring at the door. He knew he'd killed them. He'd done it.

So why didn't they believe him? Why couldn't they just accept that he was their perp?

Adachi ran a hand through his weed whacker hair, sighing deeply.

They were insinuating that Adachi's truth… was a lie.

* * *

Yosuke Hanamura ran through the streets of the Shopping District as if the devil himself was at Yosuke's heels. Tears of joy ran down his cheeks, and the grin that had seemingly disappeared when Souji left split across his face, making his brown eyes light up in happiness. Crossing the street quickly so he was in the Junes food court, Yosuke waved to the large group that was situated around a round picnic table. Yosuke's orange cell was in his hand, an attached duck key-chain swiping at the air as Yosuke called out,

"Guess what I found out!"

Yosuke's grin made Kanji flinch inwardly, and he crossed his arms. Beside him, Chie replied, cocking a brown eyebrow at Yosuke's giddiness,

"What? Did you get a girlfriend? Is she nuts?" Chie grinned when Yukiko snorted beside her, and choked on her water. Yosuke frowned as Kanji began to laugh too. Naoto rolled her eyes and Teddie tilted his head to the side as if confused. Rise was staring at Yukiko with a disturbed look on her pointed face.

Yosuke frowned, glared at Chie and said, monotonously, the giddiness inside of him killed,

"I got a call from Souji today and he-"

Rise, who looked away from Yukiko, glanced up at Yosuke and cut him off,

"Senpai?"

Yosuke threw his arms up in the air and acted as if he were yelling at the sky,

"_Please _guys, let me finish! It's important!"

Yukiko giggled again, but everyone else sighed and looked at Yosuke. Wondering full well if it were important or not. Chie smiled at the Yosuke's orange phone on the table, her heart missing Souji a lot. It was only a year ago when they'd met him, but it seemed so _long _ago… She glanced back up at Yosuke, who took a deep breath, and spoke in a serious tone,

"Okay, so I got a call from Souji today, and he said that he'd asked his parents if he could come and finish school here. And they said-" Everyone seemed to lean in, including Yukiko, hanging on Yosuke's every word.

"They said yes!"

Teddie jumped up first, and cried tears of joy. Rise jumped up only a split-second later, and the two hugged. Teddie grinned and said, highly and happily,

"Sensei's coming back!"

Yosuke snatched his phone from the table and slid in beside Kanji, sighing,

"You know… it'll be the first time he's here without the case hanging over our heads."

Chie nodded and Naoto took a deep breath, saying,

"Indeed. It's hard to believe that the case is finally over, and these past two months have been slightly awkward without our leader…"

Everyone grinned, nodding happily. It was hard to believe. Izanami was gone, Adachi was behind bars and…

Chie looked up, and whispered quietly, as if it were something she'd been wondering for a while,

"Can you believe Adachi actually did it? I mean… I have a really hard time believing it sometimes… it just…" Chie trailed of and bit her lip…

"Doesn't make sense?" Yukiko finished, Chie smiled and nodded. But Naoto furrowed her eyebrows and said, in a confused voice,

"To tell you the truth," Everyone looked at her. "I have a hard time believing that Detective Adachi was the killer as well myself…"

Teddie and Rise sat down, and Teddie stated, in an equally confused voice,

"Yeah. He was so _goofy… _It is hard to believe…" Teddie looked down, and shook his blonde head.

Kanji laughed, a slightly awkward laugh, "Screw the case! The cop did it! We don't have to worry about the damn thing anymore anyway! I mean really, Senpai's coming back! And it's about damn time!"

Everyone laughed. But there was still a heavy feeling of doubt in everyone's hearts. They saw Adachi in the TV, therefore, he was the killer. But even Naoto couldn't shake the feeling that there was something odd about it.

The group chatted animatedly, but stopped when a high, slightly shocked voice reached their ears,

"Another murder!? Isao, are you sure!?"

Everyone looked shocked and turned their heads at the source of the voice. A young girl was walking alongside a tall, handsome man. She looked dumbfounded, and flustered when the tall man answered, running a hand through his long black hair,

"Yeah, that's the case apparently. A teenage girl was found near Konishi Liquors, hanging in the same spot as that Konishi girl."

The young girl tugged at a strand of dyed golden-brown hair nervously,

"That's so _creepy… _does that even count as a coincidence…?"

"Misa, it has to be… I mean, we caught the killer, didn't we?"

Another voice interrupted them. A rather familiar voice,

"Hey! Takano! You're needed back at the station!"

Dojima.

Ryotaro Dojima approached the girl and man, turning his attention to the tall man. He swung his jacket over his shoulder before saying irritably,

"Takano, you were supposed to be at the station an hour ago."

"S-Sorry sir, but my sister-"

Dojima waved him off,

"Get going, explain yourself to the chief, not me!"

Detective Takano nodded and ran past Dojima. The young girl, Takano's sister, nodded, glanced at Dojima, and headed to the grocery section of Junes. Dojima turned around, and looked up when he noticed the dumbfounded team sitting around the round table. His eyebrows furrowed, as if he were contemplating something, but he walked towards them.

"D-Dojima-san… is it true…?" Naoto was the first to wake from shock,

Dojima's eyes lit up, and he asked,

"About Souji? Yeah, he'll be moving in again in a day or two."

Naoto shook her head,

"No, not that. The murder…"

Dojima glared over his shoulder at the direction Takano ran off in, and muttered,

"Idiot… he's worse than Adachi." Dojima's gaze hardened at the last word, but he turned his gaze back to the group and said,

"Ai Ebihara, do you know her?"

Everyone, excluding Naoto, Rise, Kanji and Teddie, nodded. Dojima continued, scratching the back of his head in an unsure way,

"Do… you know if she was bullied or picked on or…" He trailed off, looking extremely uncomfortable. But no one answered him, they were white-faced with shock, and the only thing that crawled through their minds was…

_Another killing?_

_But that's… impossible._

* * *

_April 12, 2012_

_The next day_

Souji Seta leaned against the window of the train, fingering the silver ring on his middle finger. His gray eyes were scanning the countryside as it speeded by, and he was eagerly awaiting the announcement that the train was reaching YasoInaba station.

Souji chuckled, and ran a hand through his silver hair; he could vividly remember how happy Yosuke sounded when Souji told him he'd be returning to Inaba, and Souji was bracing himself for a humungous bear hug from all his friends…

At this thought, Souji shivered. He knew how suffocating a Rise-hug or Teddie-hug was. He suffered them many times before he left, and not a single one was pleasant. No, not at all.

But Souji smiled to himself. He would be back with his closest friends, and he could have one more year with them. (Maybe more if he convinced everyone to go to Tokyo University together…) But it would be extremely weird not pulling their hair out over the case, or trying to decipher clues. Souji frowned, speaking of the case…

Souji shook his head. No, it wouldn't bode well if he started thinking about the case even more. Adachi was behind bars, and there would be no more murders. Souji sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Adachi… there was something wrong about that. Souji wondered if Adachi really was the killer.

"_He acted like the Kubo kid…" _Souji thought distantly to himself. _"And we all know that Kubo didn't know anything about the TV world…"_

_PiPiPiPiPi…_

Souji jumped at the sudden ringing of his cell and flipped it open, revealing a text message from Yosuke,

**Hey, when you get there, we're all meeting at the Special Headquarters. Kinda urgent.**

**(PS: WTF is with that train ride? We've been waiting for like an hour!)**

Souji chuckled and quickly text Yosuke back,

**I'm almost there! It's almost 3, so hold on to your pants, Hanamura.**

Almost immediately, Souji's phone rang again,

**Dude, I had to hide the text from Chie! Don't type stuff like that!**

Souji rolled his eyes, and texted again,

**Have fun sitting there.**

**(Chie won't think we're gay, idiot.)**

Souji leaned against the window again when Yosuke didn't text back. An urgent meeting at the Special Headquarters…

That, surely, didn't bode well.

* * *

While everyone was at the train station, eagerly awaiting their friend's arrival, Dojima was getting ready to go with Nanako when his phone rang. When Dojima answered it, he almost dropped the phone in shock,

"Hello? Detective Dojima? My name is Detective Minato Tohma, I'm calling to tell you that Tohru Adachi, your… assistant, is being released from prison and assigned to the case. His train leaves tomorrow, and you're being requested to pick him up."

Dojima told Nanako to go outside, and she obliged, glancing at her father's red face.

* * *

**I abandoned my Prince Of Lies short story for this HUGE project! So, read one people! I'd be extremely happy if people enjoy this more!**

**This is a story based more or less on the idea that Adachi didn't really kill people. There's a secret behind a secret behind a secret, and all of it leads up to the vindication of Tohru Adachi. Hence, the title. There is a lot of minor character death in this story, and it will touch on a sensitive topic, (Depression). However, I do hope that it won't offend anyone.**

**Adachi is the main character in this fic, but it is omniscient, and won't stay on Adachi's single viewpoint. For example, Adachi only has a short scene in the first chapter, but his presence gets larger as the story goes on. I enjoy the idea of writing every character's viewpoint on Adachi's behavior.**

**Oh, and before I forget to mention, a lot of the chapter titles are song names, and there's two lines of lyrics in the beginning of every chapter. Hopefully, that's not against the rules on this site…**

**So, anyway, enjoy the story!**


	2. What Do I Believe

**12/18/09 - Edited paragraph breaking.**

**Special thanks to anyone who reviewed/faved/alerted. :) You guys are what drive me to continue!  
**

* * *

Vindicated

Chapter 2: What Do I Believe

_Who am I supposed to be?_

_What do I believe?_

_

* * *

  
_

Dojima's face was a blotchy, vicious red as he held the phone to his ear.

Adachi was being released for no reason other than the fact that there was not a drop of evidence against the skinny detective. Dojima didn't get it at all. As Nanako chanced a glance over her shoulder to look at him, Dojima took a deep breath and said, heavily,

"Detective Tohma? Um… could I ask _why _he's being released?" Dojima tried to stay calm, but his heavy breathing betrayed his indignation.

Adachi. Innocent. Was this a dream? If so, Dojima truly wished to be woken up. Detective Tohma had a moment of silence before answering, almost with amusement in his tone,

"We, at the Tokyo Police Department, have continuously gone over this case. There just isn't enough evidence to really convict him, Detective Dojima. And you know of the current murder correct? Don't you think it… _strange _that the murders continue?"

Dojima blinked slowly, and waved Nanako out of the house before collapsing in a chair. He rubbed a hand through his hair before questioning Tohma,

"Didn't Adachi _confess _to the murders? I mean…"

Dojima scratched the back of his head as he trailed off…

He already knew the answer.

"That's not how the law works, _Detective _Dojima." Tohma sounded as if he were mocking Dojima, and Dojima grunted irritably. Dojima himself even had doubts about Adachi really being the killer, regarding the evidence…

Dojima shook his head. Adachi a_dmitted _to killing them. Dojima shouldn't even have been having these doubts.

"As I've said before," Tohma pressed on, still in a mocking, condescending tone. "There just isn't enough evidence to convict Tohru Adachi. He didn't do it. And the sudden murder of Ebihara, which may I remind you is exactly like last year's murders, practically proves my point. Tohru Adachi didn't murder those people."

Dojima rubbed his eyes, and asked in a subdued, solemn tone,

"You're asking me to pick him up from the train station tomorrow? What about the people? I mean…" Dojima trailed off again, and Tohma snorted,

"We're acclaimed detectives in Tokyo, Dojima-san. We've already thought of that, and we're putting this case on the local news tonight. Now, if you will so kindly consent to picking Detective Adachi up from YasoInaba Station tomorrow, I can tell you the time."

Dojima took a long while before answering. His first thought was of Souji and his friends, how they were the ones who found Adachi. They were the first ones to here Adachi's confession to the murders (Though Dojima still had no clue how) and were also the ones who seemed to hate Adachi with a vivid passion. But still, it was always possible that Adachi only sacrificed himself so Inaba could rest…

"I'll pick him up." Quickly grabbing a piece of paper and a pen on the kitchen table, Dojima listened for the time.

"Alright, 12:00 pm at YasoInaba Station. This is tomorrow."

So, Dojima scribbled the time quickly on the piece of paper, put it on the fridge, and exited out the front door to leave and pick Souji up.

* * *

The group at YasoInaba Station was fidgeting. Teddie and Rise were staring at the little clock near the tracks, counting down the minutes until Sensei/Senpai got there. Naoto sat cross-legged on a bench, on both sides of her were Nanako and Dojima. Nanako kicked her feet anxiously, while Dojima spaced out, as if thinking about something. Kanji stood, looking down the tracks with a pensive expression.

Suddenly Rise pouted, stamping a foot on the ground. Her hazel eyes narrowing at the clock,

"It's late! Ooh, Senpai's late!"

Yosuke looked down the tracks, and his eyes twinkled as a small little white speck in the distance began to appear. And he yelled out, pointing at the white speck,

"Hey! There it is!"

Nanako jumped up, Rise giggled, and Dojima was still looking to the side. Dojima stood up as the train slowly began to groan to a stop, blinking slowly as if he'd just noticed it was there. Naoto cocked her head, practically _sensing _Dojima's discomfort. But she brushed it off as Dojima being anxious.

A mass of people slowly moved out, and Teddie stood on his tippie-toes, keeping an eye out for a head with silver hair. Teddie jumped up when a young man slowly stepped from the doors and yelled,

"Sensei! Over here, Sensei!"

Souji obviously wasn't expecting a thing, because before he knew what was going on, he was crushed by three people at once. Rise hung on his neck, Nanako on his legs, and Teddie on his waist. Souji turned a bright red before gasping,

"Air… guys…"

They ignored him.

"Senpai! Never, ever, leave us again!" Rise shouted, tears of joy running down her cheeks.

"Big bro! Big bro!" Nanako seemed hysterical.

"Sensei! I was so-o-o-o lonely!" Teddie was crying too. "Yosuke kept being a big jerkwad!"

"Dude, you kept asking me every day when Souji was coming back." Yosuke crossed his arms, glaring at the hyperactive blonde. Teddie stuck out his tongue, and crossed his eyes. Souji on the other hand, was suffocating.

"Hey guys?" Chie walked up to stand beside Yosuke. "You… might want to let Souji-kun breathe."

Rise and Teddie both let go of Souji, but Nanako was clinging onto his legs, crying softly into the cottony material. Dojima smiled warmly, and looked up at Souji,

"Your friends were telling me that they were going to Junes so you guys could catch up. I'll take Nanako home, but you should hurry home when you're done. She's been dying to talk with you again."

Nanako opened her eyes and blushed, glaring at her father. Kanji smiled, and slapped Souji on the shoulder,

"It's about damn time you got here, Senpai! We ain't a real group without you!"

Naoto stepped up beside Kanji, and Kanji blushed lightly. Naoto smiled, and spoke softly,

"Indeed. We do have an important matter to discuss at Junes though, so let's hurry along, shall we?"

Souji felt the air darken, and Nanako, clinging to Souji's pant leg, looked around at the group curiously.

Souji could already tell something bad had happened.

* * *

"Another murder?" As always, Souji said this calmly, and carefully. He slid into the empty chair near the center of the table, a Yosuke slid in beside him. Yosuke mmhmphed, and then quietly whispered,

"It was Ebihara." Souji blinked in surprise. Ai was one of his friends, (and past temporary-girlfriend) Souji knew Ai. And Souji felt a stab in his heart at hearing about her death. But he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak-

"Wait." Naoto said this. She was staring at the table contemplatively, folding her hands in her lap. "If we take into account the Midnight Channel…"

"We haven't watched the Midnight Channel since we caught Adachi." Chie cut in, cocking her head confusedly at Naoto. Naoto nodded,

"Indeed. However, it has rained for the past few days-"

"And it was foggy this morning!" Chie gasped, catching on.

"Yes. It was foggy this morning. We can also take into account that Teddie hasn't been in the TV for the past week, staying at Yosuke's home. This is another murder, just like the ones Detective Adachi committed." Naoto finished, looking up to gauge her friends' reactions.

Everyone had a shocked expression. Then Yukiko stated, stuttering,

"D-Does this mean Adachi-san is innocent?"

Yosuke snarled, sounding slightly ridiculous,

"We saw the son of a bitch in the TV, so nope. He's still guilty."

Rise and Teddie sighed. And Rise quipped,

"This means we have _another _mystery on our hands."

Kanji nodded, but he smiled slightly.

"About damn time."

Naoto looked at him, a slightly vicious expression on her face,

"Kanji-kun? This is _serious. _Please try to act as such."

Everyone, save Naoto and Kanji, began to laugh.

* * *

Souji warily entered the Dojima house, fearing another suffocating hug from Nanako. When the door landed with a soft click behind him, however, he saw Dojima sitting on the couch, staring into space.

"Dojima-san?" Souji asked warily, kicking off his shoes.

Nanako was nowhere in sight. And this alarmed Souji.

"Where's Nanako?"

Dojima took a long time to answer, and little alarm bells ran out in Souji's head. He saw Dojima's head tip forward, and Souji could imagine his uncle closing his eyes in a contemplative expression. Dojima said, quietly,

"She's at Junes. Souji, I… have something I need to tell you."

Souji stared at the back of his uncle's head before walking up to sit beside his uncle on the couch. As he had guessed, Dojima's eyes were closed, and his chin was resting on the back of his hands. In a contemplative expression. Souji folded his legs underneath him, and asked, equally as quiet as his uncle,

"Yes?"

Dojima took a deep, heavy breath, and scratched his stubbly beard. He muttered,

"Adachi is being released. I have to pick him up from YasoInaba Station tomorrow."

Souji was quiet. But he was not surprised. Ai's murder was symmetrical to those that Adachi committed, and it would've only made sense to release Adachi. Still, that didn't stop Souji from having a negative reaction to the fact,

"So, they're letting the bastard get away with what he's done!?"

Dojima looked shocked at his nephew's outburst. And he stared at Souji, his grizzled gray eyes locking with Souji's enraged gray. Dojima sighed, and looked at his nephew with a purely familial expression,

"I believe that Adachi sacrificed himself so Inaba could relax."

"_Bullshit," _Souji wanted to hiss. _"But you wouldn't know of the Midnight Channel."_

Souji's gray eyebrows stitched together in anger and utter hatred. He stared at the TV, his expression hard and unwavering.

"_Still, even I know that there's something wrong about the way Adachi acted. It was as if he had two personalities…"_

"I'm going to have to let my friends know. Would it be OK to tell them?" Dojima seemed shocked at Souji's polite tone, especially after the outburst he'd had only a second ago. Dojima nodded dumbly, and Souji quickly, too quickly, stood up from the couch and headed towards the door, furiously texting on his silver phone,

**We have to meet up at Junes. Extremely important.**

Slamming the front door behind him, Souji smashed the_ send_ button with unnecessary force.

* * *

The sound of Kanji's fists slamming the table made everyone jump.

"What the hell is this?!" Kanji snarled, his white-blonde eyebrows stitching together. "Adachi! Innocent!"

Yosuke stood up from his chair, shooting the enraged Kanji a wary glare,

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't ruin these tables!"

Naoto was staring at her cup of ramen, with a slightly discouraged look. She stated, in a low voice,

"I don't understand at all…"

"What do they expect to accomplish anyways!?" Rise waved a hand, gesturing to everyone. "I mean, why not just say he's the killer and get the case over with?"

Naoto scowled darkly, and crossed her legs and arms. She replied, in an annoyed tone,

"Unfortunately, that's not how the law works."

Yukiko cocked her head to the side and sighed, closing her eyes,

"Why aren't I outraged, like the rest of you? I mean, when I heard he was coming back… I felt…"

"Happy." Souji answered for her, crossing his arms. Yukiko smiled and nodded. But Chie bit her lip and stared at the table with a hard expression. She said, in a quiet, very un-Chie-like voice,

"I don't think any of us actually wanted to believe that Adachi was the killer…"

Teddie growled, and Souji realized he was wearing his ridiculous bear-suit,

"But just 'cause we don't want to believe it, doesn't mean it isn't the truth!"

Yosuke looked downcast, and stared up at the sky, where a few specks of stars glittered across the evening sky. Yosuke sighed, running a hand through his reddish-brown hair,

"We're the ones who wanted to know the truth. And what we saw is what we got." He leaned back in his chair, glaring at the sky. Souji knew, just from the way Yosuke was scowling, that Yosuke was thinking of Saki Konishi.

Everyone fell silent. It was true. They strived, fought for the truth, and when they reached it… they didn't want to believe the truth. In the end, the truth did nothing but disappoint them. Whether they liked it or not.

Souji smiled grimly to himself.

Adachi had been right.

The world was better off wrapped in lies and living in blissful ignorance.

Naoto, who was folding her hands in her lap, broke the silence with a somber statement,

"I want to be there when he gets off the train tomorrow. I want to see him, out of prison, with my own eyes."

Souji nodded, "I'll come too."

Chie flashed Naoto and Souji a grin, "Hey! Don't forget me!"

Kanji stuttered, watching Naoto with a flabbergasted expression, "I… I wanna go too."

Teddie bounced merrily in his seat and spoke cheerily, "Ooh! Teddie wants to go too! Can Teddie come! I want to let Adachy-baby know he's not alone!"

Yosuke glared at everyone and looked at Teddie in disbelief,

"Don't you remember what he did? The fight we had! He tried, no wanted to kill us! And he killed _Saki-Senpai!"_

Yosuke stood up from his chair,

"I swear, Teddie, you'd greet the _devil himself_ if you could." He looked around at everyone, a disturbed expression on his face,

"I'll pass. I might punch him if I end up going with you guys." And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked away.

Teddie's mouth was agape and he whispered quietly,

"I… just had a feeling that Adachy-baby didn't do it!"

"Oh, you too?" Rise grinned her famous, pop-idol grin. "Glad I'm not the only one."

"But…" Yukiko looked extremely confused and she kicked her feet under the table. "We saw him in the TV… He even said he did it!"

Rise scratched her pointed chin, and pouted,

"Yeah… but it still doesn't make sense!"

"If you think about this entire case, nothing ever makes sense." Chie grumbled.

"I'll pass though." Rise said, her smile falling from her face. "I… I'm not ready to see him yet."

"Pass." Yukiko said. She and Rise got up from the table.

As the two girls walked away, Chie, Souji, Naoto, Kanji and Teddie all looked around.

"We'll skip, since the train comes around noon." Kanji said, and everyone nodded.

Still, Souji had a dark feeling about everything.

Whether they wanted to admit it or not, everyone wanted to see the goofy, old Adachi. Or attempt to force that mask of his back…

Until it stuck, forever.

* * *

**I seem to have the most trouble writing Teddie's name. xD I keep putting Teddied.**


	3. World, Magician And Justice

**12/18/09 - Paragraph editing.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/faved/alerted!  
**

* * *

Vindicated

Chapter 3: World, Magician and Justice

_All these things that I've done…_

_Now what have I become…_

_And where'd I go wrong?_

_

* * *

  
_

_April. 13. 2012_

Adachi stared moodily out the train window.

Rain spider-webbed across the glass, creating a pattern similar to a shattered window. The countryside sped by in a flurry of somber grays and greens. Sighing, Adachi pressed his cheek against the window, closing his fogged black eyes tightly. The sound of the rain was soothing, yet ominous as it peppered the glass and the soft noise coaxed Adachi into peaceful thinking.

Inaba was only a few hours away, and the anxiety was overwhelming. Detective Tohma had explained that there would be a public announcement regarding the case, but still, Adachi worried in trepidation of what was to come. After all, it wasn't every day that you murdered two people and were then released.

Adachi shivered at the thought of what the Investigation Team, that group of brats, might do to him. All in all, Adachi detested, absolutely _detested _returning to Inaba. He wanted to wallow in self-hatred for the rest of his life. Opening his eyes, Adachi stared at his slightly transparent reflection.

He wondered if anyone would even recognize him.

His hair, the weed whacker hair he'd grown to hate, had grown longer and messier. His face was sunken, pale and angled. With a grim smirk, a smirk that reminded Adachi all-to-well of the Magatsu Inaba incident, Adachi realized that prison had not been kind to him. Adachi laughed silently. He didn't deserve special treatment or better health conditions.

Adachi was _worthless, pathetic, detestable._

Adachi closed his eyes again, wanting to drift off into easy sleep before he arrived in Inaba. Perhaps a good nap could help him mull what he would do when he returned…

* * *

Adachi felt as if he were moving. Moving on a never-ending path downward. And, for some strange, odd reason, he was standing. Adachi was sure he'd fallen asleep _sitting…_

That was when he heard the music. A soft, eerie and haunting tune, sung by a woman with a high voice. Adachi's eyes opened, and he realized, that he was in an elevator, eerily similar to the one in Junes. The elevator was very big, shaped square, and lined with baby blue velvet walls.

In front of Adachi, were a table and two couches. On the couch, was a bizarre, elderly man and beside him, a beautiful woman with golden hair. The elderly man smiled a twisted, nasty smile, and the woman beside him looked absolutely shocked.

"Welcome," The bizarre-looking man said, gesturing to the velvet elevator around him, "To the Velvet Room."

Adachi froze, staring at the bizarre man (whose nose was freakishly pointed and long. Yeesh.) and then turning to glance at the beautiful woman. This, Adachi decided, had to have been the creepiest dream he'd ever had. Adachi looked around at the Velvet Room, ignoring the beautiful woman's shocked stare. The Velvet Room was an eerie, haunting place, but luxurious none the less.

"It would appear," The bizarre man chuckled, looking at the beautiful woman from the corner of his bloodshot eyes. "We have a guest with an extremely intriguing destiny."

Destiny. That very word made Adachi stare icily at the man. Adachi's destiny was over when he decided to be a prick and murder Mayumi Yamano. And the uncharacteristic frown that marred Adachi's features made the bizarre man smile grimly.

"My name is Igor, and I am _delighted _to make your acquaintance."

"I'm not." Adachi quipped, staring icily at the old man. The beautiful woman stared at the man, as if expecting him to blow up at Adachi. But Igor only smiled and continued with his speech, ignoring Adachi,

"This place, The Velvet Room, exists between dream and reality. Mind, and matter."

"So, this place would be my subconscious? Personally, I thought there would be more cabbages around." Adachi snorted, crossing his arms. The woman narrowed her golden eyes. Igor continued to ignore his scruples,

"It is a room, which only those bound by a 'contract', may enter."

Immediately, Adachi's thoughts ran straight to Izanami. A contract. The power to enter TVs was his contract. And that, Adachi grimly smiled a smile that Igor returned, that power allowed Adachi to destroy his life. That contract was one which Adachi signed with the blood of his victims.

"This is a fate you are ultimately familiar with, however, Tohru Adachi."

Igor waved a hand over the little round table in front of him, and a deck of pale, silver cards appeared in the middle. The center of the card had the insignia of a half-colored mask, and a small shiver ran down Adachi's spine.

"Let's take a look into your future, shall we?"

Adachi didn't protest. He simply dug into the elevator floor with his heel and nodded. Taking three cards randomly from the deck, Igor placed the three cards in a straight line, the rest of the deck disappearing in his hand. Adachi watched as Igor flipped over the first card. On it, a hermaphrodite was dancing, a lion, a griffin and many other creatures surrounding it.

"The World, in the upright position. This card represents the immediate future." Igor said dryly, rubbing the picture with a stubby forefinger.

"This card marks a time in your life where the journey may have stopped, and transcended on a plane where you started. But the journey of the soul will never end. This card marks the start of a new journey. It seems that the journey is not over, and when you arrive at your destination, you will help complete it."

Adachi shivered, and a drop of sweat rolled down his angled, sunken face. Could Igor possibly mean the journey inside the TV World? And the newest murder? Adachi wanted to laugh at Igor. How could a murderer help others catch another murderer? It was ironic. But then again, Adachi was the master of irony.

Igor flipped over another card. On this card, the symbol of infinity surrounded a ball of fire held by two hands.

"The Magician, in the upright position. This card represents the present." Igor now rubbed at a dog-eared corner of the card.

"This card marks a time in your life where you have the power of destruction. But this time, you also have the wisdom and confidence to use your powers of destruction constructively. Now is the time to act, if you know what you must accomplish and why."

A wave of shock touched Adachi. The powers of destruction. Igor meant the power to go into the TV, the power to use Magatsu Izanagi. The only thing Adachi didn't understand, was what he needed to accomplish and why. But before Adachi could ask, Igor flipped over the final card. On this card, golden scales were embroidered.

"Justice, in the upright position. This card represents the far future." Igor smiled, almost ironically at the sight of this card.

"When Justice appears, it should be taken as a stern reminder of the deeds of the past. The deeds of the past form the foundation for the present and future." Igor stared into Adachi's eyes.

"If you have done something in the past that you feel guilty about, soon may be the day where you will answer for your actions. Face them."

And before Adachi could say anything, consciousness slipped from him.

* * *

Souji Seta yawned as he plunged down the stairs. His school bag was not slung over his shoulder today. Today was the day Adachi was returning, and the group that had decided to come see him was skipping school. Nanako was at school, however, and with a stab of irritation, Souji realized that Nanako had left the TV on.

As Souji began to place toast in the toaster for his breakfast, what the news announcer on the news said made him freeze,

"_Aizawa reporting in. There's been a breakthrough regarding the murder case in Inaba last spring."_

Souji turned towards the TV, pulling butter from the cabinet as he intently listened.

"_We're just outside the Tokyo Police Department and… oh! There's Detective Minato Tohma, the man investigating the case! May we have word!?"_

The screen swiveled around to reveal an elderly man walking out of a large building. Tohma had a harassed look on his face and he glared angrily at the screen.

"_Very well."_ Tohma agreed, rubbing idly at his walrus mustache.

The reporter seemed to jump at the idea, and he began to animatedly and squeakily ask questions,

"_So, is it true that Adachi is innocent?"_

At this question, Tohma's mustache bristled, "_Of course he is! Us, the detectives at the Tokyo PD have concluded that Tohru Adachi had only admitted the murders so the case would be closed and Inaba could…" _A grim smile contorted Tohma's features. _"Relax."_

Souji's toast popped from the toaster and he grabbed a butter knife from another cabinet.

"_Is it also true that you are sending Adachi back to Inaba!?"_ The reporter held the microphone higher to Tohma's bristling mustache.

"_Yes, it is. We are planning to put him back on the case."_

Souji dropped the butter knife in shock, where it landed to the ground with a loud clatter. Put Adachi back on the case? Were they _absolutely _bonkers? Souji stared at the TV; the reporter looked just as perplexed as he was. The reporter stuttered his reply,

"_Y-You're what!?"_

Tohma snorted, almost mocking the reporter,

"_I am positive that Detective Adachi will be of great help the case. He is one of Inaba PD's most clever detect-"_

Abruptly, the TV turned off, and a flash of light erupted from one of the windows. Around Souji, the power went out, and the silence was interrupted by the rolling of thunder. It had begun to storm.

Silently, Souji ate his toast and waited for the power to turn back on.

* * *

Souji, Teddie, Naoto, Kanji and Chie all met up at the Junes Food Court. Around them, the storm had lightened to a small drizzle, and the five of them were carrying umbrellas. None of them seemed tired; on the contrary, they were extremely anxious. They took the bus to YasoInaba station, and no one, not even the charismatic Teddie, spoke. The silence made them even more anxious, however.

When they finally made it to the station, they walked up the steps to see Dojima sitting on a bench, clutching an umbrella too tightly. He was staring at the ground and he appeared just as anxious as they did. He looked up when he heard Naoto sigh. For a split-second he looked shocked, but the shock turned quickly to seething anger.

"What are you doing here!? Skipping school!" He growled, looking at all of them only for his gaze to land on Souji.

Chie was the first to answer. She bit her lip and gripped her own umbrella tightly, "We… wanted to see Adachi."

Kanji looked to the side, slightly embarrassed by Dojima's scolding, "When… we heard he was coming back… I kinda had to see it with my own eyes."

Teddie, who was holding a very childish ladybug umbrella, jumped up and grinned, yelling out, "I wanted to greet him back to town!"

Naoto stared Dojima down, and asked him solemnly, "So, how are you doing?"

Dojima was surprised by the question. But he smiled and nodded, answering the question,

"In truth… I'm exhausted. I've been waiting for this… dreading it, but happy as well…" He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I don't really know how I feel."

Souji nodded, they were all feeling the same thing. Mixed feelings towards Adachi coming back. He asked Dojima inquisitively,

"When will the train be here?"

"Ten minutes."

Chie's jaw dropped, and she looked dumbfounded,

"T-Ten minutes!?" She stuttered, hazel eyes growing wide. "I thought it would be, like, two hours!"

Dojima shook his head, cocking an eyebrow at Chie's queer behavior,

"No. He's on the next train here."

Kanji sighed and bunched up his shoulders, shrugging,

"Guess there's no backing out of this now. Right, Senpai?" Souji nodded and Chie was still deadpanned.

Souji looked down the tracks and saw the tiniest, ittiest-bittiest, sight of the train. He felt his heart pound and his palms dapple with sweat.

"There it is."

A heavy silence hung over the group. Everyone clutched their umbrellas too tightly, and stared down the tracks at the train as it began to lurch to a stop. A large mass stepped from the train, and before anyone knew it, a tall young, black-haired man stepped out, a frown marring his face.

Adachi had changed. Greatly. His weed whacker hair had grown longer, messier. His skin was paler, angled and dark bags hung underneath his eyes. His suit was gone, replaced by a white long-sleeved tee-shirt and jeans. He looked like a teenager… a strangely, odd teenager. His eyes, foggy, scanned the area where the group was not present.

"Hey dumbass, over here." Kanji said, almost quietly, he was flabbergasted at how… _different _Adachi looked.

Adachi didn't jump or fall down like the goofy, clumsy Adachi they all knew. Instead his head slowly, peculiarly turned towards the group. Not a single expression was evident on his face. It was as if Adachi had been drained of personality. Prison, they'd guessed, had not been kind to Adachi.

His eyes were like fog. There were undecipherable, strange. Yet still, they knew this was Adachi, but it was like looking at a familiar stranger.

Dojima walked towards him first, an almost angry expression on his face.

"You son of a bitch." He snarled. The corners of Adachi's mouth twitched, and he answered, in a familiar, low voice,

"D-Dojima-san. I…"

Dojima smacked him square in the face, and Adachi's head snapped to one side, so he was staring out at Inaba.

"You idiot! Why the hell would you make yourself a suspect!? I was without a partner for over a month! I needed you for coffee duty! I needed you to take me home from the bar when I was drunk!"

Again, the corners of Adachi's mouth twitched,

"Wait… so who did take you home?"

"Don't change the suspect, dammit!"

Adachi turned his head back so he faced Dojima. It was then that they realized that Adachi had no umbrella, but the younger detective didn't seem to mind getting wet. Adachi stated, the corners of his mouth grinning slightly,

"I-I'm sorry sir. They put me back as your partner."

Dojima's wrath was not quelled,

"Damn right they did!"

Faintly, a smile appeared on Adachi's face. But it fell when Adachi looked over Dojima's shoulder at the five teenagers watching him.

Adachi didn't expect one thing to happen, that was for sure. And that, was the hug of death that Teddie unleashed upon him,

"ADACHY-BABY!"

Teddie crushed Adachi in an eerily similar way when Teddie had crushed into Souji. Adachi let out a choking sound, and Teddie gushed, "Adachi! I'm glad you had a safe trip!"

"Can't…" Adachi coughed. "Breathe…"

Teddie chuckled, and then backed away, "Oops…" He grinned. "I'm Beary sorry!"

Kanji stepped forward ahead of the group and analyzed Adachi,

"They weren't shitting me."

Adachi stared at Kanji. Chie spoke next, rubbing her chin,

"Wow… Souji was serious." Her eyes lit up. "You got new clothes!"

Adachi nodded slowly, his bagged eyes closing for a bit. Naoto was next to step up,

"Welcome back, Detective Adachi."

Adachi would've replied, but he couldn't get over the shock of the five of them! Being here. Greeting him on the train! Souji was next to walk over. He stopped in front of Adachi and stretched out his arm, giving Adachi his hand. Adachi, shocked as he was, could do nothing but stare at it.

"It's just a hand." Souji said, irritably.

Adachi took his hand and then quickly let it go. He didn't speak. No, he _couldn't _speak. He looked into all six pairs of eyes, looking for any sign that they hated him. There was none. They should've despised him, hated him. But any trace of their previous hatred was gone.

He was back, he wasn't behind bars. He wasn't dead. He was right here, in front of them, looking at them. Trying to find the hatred he knew full well he deserved. Trying to find the reason they'd come here. He couldn't find anything.

They couldn't have come here because they _wanted _to see him.

Right?


	4. Where It All Began

**12/20/09 - Paragraph editing.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed/faved/alerted!  
**

* * *

Vindicated

Chapter 4: Where It All Began

_Back to the street…_

_Where we began…_

* * *

All was quiet in Dojima's car. Everyone was too anxious, too on edge to say anything. The only sound that pierced the air was the slight hum of Dojima's car and the rain as it spattered against the car window. Adachi was leaning his head against the window, staring out at the street through bagged eyes.

He hated this most of all.

Being near the people he had betrayed, lied to. Sure, being around Dojima was fine; Dojima didn't know that Adachi really had killed the first two victims. It was the brats that he hated being around. For one, Adachi didn't understand why they'd come to see him in the first place. They hated him, despised him. They should've hated him. After everything he did, they should've wanted to murder him.

With a wince, Adachi wondered why'd they had even spared his life in Magatsu Inaba in the first place. Adachi let his eyes at half mast; that would've been hypocritical of them. Murder the murderer to avenge those that had been murdered. To them, it sounded like a farce. To Adachi, it was like pure bliss.

Well, if they didn't hate Adachi; Adachi hated them. Not for making him realize what he had done wrong. The brats had made him realize who he was. Heartless, cold… and, in Kanji's words, a son of a bitch.

Adachi glared out the window, rubbing idly at the sleeve of his white t-shirt. The brats… what did they gain from coming to see him? Nothing. Nothing at all. No closure, no remorse, no nothing. Nothing, except the bitter truth that Adachi was released. They weren't even talking, saying anything. Adachi felt someone glance at the back of his head, staring at it until the stare broke off a few seconds later. A slight prickling feeling tingled down Adachi's spine.

Did they expect him to blow up at them? To scream and yell like the egotistic, immature brat he was? Like the mad man they saw in the Midnight Channel? Well, he wasn't going to. His silence was everything to him. Them being there, sitting in the back, staring at him, it meant something… something Adachi couldn't even find out.

"Adachi?" Dojima's voice brought Adachi from his thoughts. He looked at Dojima from the corner of his foggy eyes. "Did you hear?" Dojima shot a warning glance at the backseat.

"Yeah, they told me when it first happened." Adachi didn't even need a second to figure out what Dojima was talking about. Ebihara's killing. Adachi had pondered the killing. And there was no explanation for it other than the idea that Ebihara was thrown into the TV. Dojima continued, in a slightly aggravated voice,

"I don't understand… do you think the first killer… waited?" Dojima shot another icy glare at the backseat, aggravated that he couldn't say everything he wanted to, thanks to the busybodies in the backseat.

"No. There may be a new killer, attempting to copy the murders." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chie squirm in her seat. "I think this time they succeeded. There are a few things here and there that are… different."

Adachi glanced at the back seat, his eyes washing over all the teenagers, and said clearly,

"The police department told me all about it. I'll tell you when we get back to the station."

Dojima sighed, tapping the steering wheel with his forefinger. He looked at the backseat and grumbled,

"I don't know why they came. I didn't tell them to. So I'm sorr-"

Adachi cut him off,

"Don't be. I don't deserve any special treatment." He shrugged, and frowned, glaring at the window of the car. A sneeze erupted from the backseat, and Kanji growled,

"Teddie! What's wrong with you, man!?" He was wiping his face with his sleeve before glaring at the hyperactive blonde. Teddie rubbed at his nose and replied, in a congested voice,

"I'm sorry! My nose is all clogged up! I can't smell anything!"

Chie chuckled, grinning at her blond friend, "Well now we don't have to hear you saying 'My Teddie senses are tingling!' every day!"

Teddie pouted and crossed his arms and stated, his voice sounding slightly ridiculous thanks to the congestion,

"Chie-chan! I do not say that every day!"

Chie laughed, but Souji remained quiet. In fact, Adachi noticed that he was being abnormally quiet. Usually, the strange brat would've been able to get a word in edgewise. But today, he was just looking at his friends with a contemplative expression on his face. Chie stuck her head in between the driver and passenger seats, and Adachi looked at her with a wilting glare. She grinned and asked,

"Hey Adachi?"

"Y-Yeah?" Although his eyes were angry, wilting, his voice was nervous. He didn't know why he sounded nervous, he shouldn't have cared if they liked him or not. Chie gave him a small grin and asked, in a sickeningly polite voice,

"Why'd you change your clothes? You look so much younger wearing that."

Adachi's expression hardened. Tch, a stupid question from a stupid brat. Adachi leaned against the window again,

"I'm only twenty. So I'm more or less bound to look like a teenager." At Chie's surprised expression he quickly added, "Shirogane's not the only one with family connections. Also," Adachi's expression hardened even more,

"I got tired of the suit and tie."

"_No," _Adachi listened to the little voice in his head. _"You got tired of playing the part of goofball detective. Tired of everything."_

Chie nodded dumbly then leaned back into her seat, shooting Naoto a surprised expression. Teddie sneezed again, this time into his sleeve instead of on Kanji, and the car quickly became quiet once more. The rain pounded harder and harder on the glass and Adachi wondered absent-mindedly if it was an omen that it was raining on the day he came here. Turning to Dojima he asked quietly,

"Does it still rain a lot here?"

Dojima shook his head, glaring at window as the window wiper swept across the glass,

"No. It hardly rains here anymore."

There was Adachi's answer.

* * *

Noriko Kashiwagi had always been one of the more whorish women in Inaba. And as she followed the tall, dark man down the alley and towards an apartment, her small mind buzzed around with excitement. She tucked the roll of dollars into her bra, and smoothed out her thin hair. What? Kashiwagi needed to make money on the side. Teacher's jobs didn't pay very well in Inaba.

"It's so-o-o-o good to know a man actually appreciates my beauty." She whispered quietly, quickening her strides so she stood shoulder-to-shoulder beside the tall man. The tall man grunted in reply, snaking his arm around Kashiwagi's wide waist. Kashiwagi blushed and giggled, running a hand down the tall man's back.

"_Wallet… gotta find that wallet." _She thought, feeling around for a bulge in his back pocket. Nothing. Inwardly, Kashiwagi shrugged. Oh well, her on-the-side job was a double-edged-sword. (For her clients, ho ho ho.)

But what Kashiwagi didn't expect, on this fine day, was to be grabbed by the shoulders and thrown into the wall of the dark alley. She squirmed, gasped and the tall man put his lips to her ear,

"Sinful, disgusting little bitch," A moment passed before the tall man continued. "I think it's time the human race just went off and _died _don't you?"

Kashiwagi's forehead became dappled with sweat, and the tall man grabbed her and threw headfirst into something dark and square.

A TV…

As she screamed, the moonlight caught something shiny on the tall man's chest… A police badge. And as it continued to rain, the tall man grinned, his white teeth shining in the darkness.

"It's time… for a new world."

* * *

After dropping Souji and his friends off at Dojima's home, the two detectives continued along to the police station in silence, save for the pounding of the rain against the car window. The Inaba PD was a small, circular building, much unlike the large Tokyo building. And Adachi could barely suppress a grimace as Dojima pulled into his parking space. The feeling of dread and dislike when Adachi first arrived in Inaba washed back into the skinny detective's system. His fists clenched, and his eyes closed for a long while.

"Adachi?" Dojima tapped his forefinger on the steering wheel. "Ready?"

"I'm not sure how they'll all react. What if they didn't believe the Tokyo PD?" Adachi smirked. "Tch, I know I'm going to be the most hated man in Inaba."

"I think," Dojima opened the car door. "You're going to be very surprised." He shut it.

Reluctantly, and with a feeling of heavy dread in his stomach, Adachi opened the car door and stepped out of it. Rain soaked his hair, and Dojima was quickly at his side with an umbrella. The two quickly approached the little circular building. Dojima was anxious, Adachi was feeling simply awful.

The doors opened, and it was just as Adachi remembered it.

* * *

Fear.

Fear was the only feeling Kashiwagi could feel as she wandered around the strange world. Yellow fog clouded her eyesight, and she felt for a wall, for something to hold on to. She recognized the place she was in. It was like Yasogami High, all big walls and boring old desks. In fact, the exact room she was in was exactly like her classroom.

She stopped as a hand touched her bare shoulder and she whipped around, staring into the familiar face of herself. Yellow eyes met dull green, and a smirk crossed the Kashiwagi clone's features.

"Skank. I'm just a skank." The Kashiwagi clone ran a hand down her body like a nasty stripper. "This is all I have to go on. There's nothing else out there for me… I'm pathetic!"

"No… I don't…" Kashiwagi's voice, usually so sultry, was quiet, pathetic.

Shadow Kashiwagi tapped Kashiwagi's cheek, shaking her head. Puckering her lips like some demented version of a child, Shadow Kashiwagi whispered quietly,

"Do you accept yourself for who you are… Noriko Kashiwagi? Do you accept that I am you?"

Kashiwagi brought a hand across her Shadow's face, closing her eyes tightly. She screamed, viciously,

"You're not me!"

That was the last mistake Kashiwagi would ever make.

* * *

The sound of phones ringing, of police officers laughing and joking, and the buzz of conversation between the people calling the Inaba PD filled the air all around Adachi and Dojima. Yes, it was just like Adachi had remembered it. The door behind the two detectives closed with a loud snap, and suddenly, the Inaba PD became eerily quiet.

Everyone turned to look at Dojima and Adachi, some people smiled slightly, a few paled as if they'd seen a ghost, and one or two cocked their heads to the side as if they didn't recognize Adachi. The Chief of the Inaba PD opened his office door, glanced at Adachi and announced loudly,

"Okay everyone, get back to work as if it were a normal day. Got it!?" Everyone nodded, a few fumbling with the phones in disbelief. One man approached the duo, and said, jovially,

"Hey Adachi-san."

"T-Takano-san."

Isao Takano tipped his police hat in a sign of respect, smiling. His gray eyes caught Adachi's black, and Takano frowned,

"Adachi-san, you really need to get to a solarium… or a hairdresser."

Adachi's eyebrow twitched, and he sighed. He muttered at Takano,

"Gee, thanks Takano-san. That _really _makes me feel welcome."

It was then that Adachi realized Takano was soaked head to toe. Looking him over, Adachi cocked an eyebrow and said flatly,

"Caught in the rain?"

Takano chuckled and flattened his soaking fringe with his hand. He replied, his gray eyes twinkling in amusement,

"Had some trouble with the biker gangs this afternoon." Takano shook his head and took on a disgusted look. "Damn punks don't know when to quit."

Adachi nodded numbly and Dojima called out from behind him,

"Hey Adachi! Hurry up!"

Takano looked over Adachi's shoulder at Dojima and whispered, so only Adachi could hear him,

"I'm really glad you're back as Dojima's partner. I've had to drag the damn man out of the bar so-o-o-o many times in the past week." Takano smiled slightly and Adachi returned the expression, albeit reluctantly. "You're his gofer after all."

Takano leaned in again, quickly adding, a twisted smirk on his handsome face,

"By the way, no one's mad at you. If anything, everyone's glad to know you didn't do it."

Takano turned on his heel and left. A tiny chill ran down Adachi's spine. Isao Takano was a detective the same age as Adachi, but no one really knew anything about Takano. If anything, Detective Takano was an enigma. Adachi wrinkled his nose. Takano also knew where to poke the sharp stick. Being called Dojima's gofer wasn't the most pleasant thing to say to Adachi.

"Adachi!" Dojima growled from his office. "Where's my coffee!?"

Sighing, Adachi stared at Takano's retreating figure. Some things never changed…

Like Adachi's damn coffee duty, for example.

~Vindicated~

"Come on Yosuke… we were just curious, that's all…" Rain pounded on the canopy above Junes' food court, and Yosuke crossed his arms, leaning back in the chair. Souji shook his head at Chie, who was feebly attempting to calm Yosuke down. She looked at Yosuke with a pained look and turned her head to catch Souji's gaze.

"So…" Yukiko squirmed in her seat, and everyone turned their heads toward her. "What was it like?"

"Weird." Souji said, shooting Yosuke an annoyed glance. Yosuke really needed to stop acting like such a brat. Saki Konishi was dead. And there was nothing Yosuke could do about that. Kanji tangled his fingers in his hair and elaborated, looking at Yukiko,

"It was like the guy we saw wasn't Adachi… it was pretty damn strange."

Naoto shook her head, looking at the damp picnic table with a wondering look. She sighed, and shrugged,

"I expected to see the insane mad man we saw in the TV… or the goofy old Adachi. But what we saw was…"

Teddie finished for her, his usually high voice becoming a little low,

"A depressed man."

Rise looked at Teddie and cocked her head, her dark red pigtails falling past her shoulders,

"What do you mean, Teddie?"

Teddie tensed up a bit, and spoke seriously, "When he spoke… it sounded like he didn't care about anything. I got all tense… it made me think…" Teddie trailed off, biting his bottom lip in uncertainty. Souji finished the sentence for him, nodding,

"The man we saw wasn't the Adachi we knew. He wasn't insane, he wasn't goofy… he was indifferent. To us, he was someone else."

Naoto nodded, smiling. She added to Souji's sentence,

"Perhaps this is who Adachi really is. Maybe we never really knew who he was…"

Yosuke snorted, and Kanji whispered hurriedly, tangling his fingers in his hair again,

"I hope that s'not the case…"

* * *

Dojima rushed into the police cruiser with Takano and Adachi in tow. Another body had been found, hanging from the roof of Yasogami High.

_Victim: Kashiwagi, Noriko_

_Time Of Death: 6:00 PM_

_Cause…_

_Undetermined._

_

* * *

  
_


	5. Emptiness And Despair

**Thanks to those who reviewed! :D**

**I'm finally back from CAMP! :D It was pretty fun, cause we went ziplining and did a play. Though I didn't get to write a fricking thing. My friend took my notebook and passed notes on the bus. And I fell asleep on the bus! My friend pinched my nose to wake me up! D: I thought I was gonna die!**

**So yeah, it was pretty fun. Enjoy this chapter!**

Vindicated

Chapter 5: Emptiness And Despair

_When all this time…_

_I've been so hollow inside…_

_April. 14. 2012_

_1:00 AM_

Adachi returned to his apartment in the Shopping District for the first time. Everything was kept, museum-like, as if Adachi had never left Inaba in the first place. Adachi shot his TV, a little thing in the corner, a wilting glare. True, Adachi had the urge to stick his hand in the TV and see what would happen, but Adachi had the willpower to turn away, and sluggishly started towards his room.

Kashiwagi and Ebihara. What connection did they have? One was a teacher at Yasogami High, who 'catered' to men on the side. (Adachi knew because he had the bad luck to come across her one particular night) The other, was a student at Yasogami whose beauty trumped even Yukiko Amagi's.

Besides Yasogami High, which was a coincidence when it came to the TV killings, there was nothing that connected the two.

Adachi grimaced. Well, there was _one other _connection. Ebihara was Souji's ex-girlfriend, and Kashiwagi was Souji's old homeroom teacher. _But Souji wouldn't have been able to kill them_, Adachi nodded contemplatively, _Ebihara died before Souji came back to Inaba._

Would that mean that whoever was killing these people was targeting people Souji knew personally?

Adachi shivered, hoping that wasn't the case. He leaned against the hall wall, clutching his stomach. The sickly feeling he'd shrugged off washed over him. He immediately thought that seeing Kashiwagi's hanging body was the culprit. Even though he himself was a murderer, seeing dead bodies gave him a sick feeling. He was just like most people, not used to seeing death itself.

Adachi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Musty, with the lingering smell of downy feathers. He would have to clean up his home soon…

A vision struck Adachi's closed eyes.

A tall man thrust a voluptuous woman into a dark entrance… A TV. Choking on his own breath, Adachi slid to the ground, the sickly feeling becoming painful and unbearable. He bit his lip, attempting to dull the pain. No luck. Adachi opened his eyes a little, staring out at the wall through black-eyed slits.

What the hell just happened?

Another vision slashed across Adachi's eyes, and the pain stabbed and throbbed his stomach. The voluptuous woman struggled to find her way through a labyrinth of desk, enveloped in a gray fog. Adachi curled into a little ball, gasping sharply as the pain stabbed again.

A final vision slid into his peripheral sight.

A gray-haired woman in a long, flowing dress stood in front of him, holding a pale hand out to him. Her eyes sparked a malign red, then she was no more. The pain intensified, and Adachi bit his tongue harshly, choking out quizzically,

"Izanami…?"

Black washed over him, and Adachi's vision slipped into black.

~Vindicated~

Fog swirled in Adachi's vision. Merciless and gray.

Adachi knew this place… it seemed so familiar…

With a look equal to pure fear, realization crossed his face.

This place… this gray, foggy place… was Magatsu Inaba. Adachi looked below him. Red and black swirled angrily underneath him, replacing the familiar gray that was Adachi's shadow. He looked around him, unable to see anything because of the thick gray fog that covered Magatsu Inaba. It seemed so different from the clear, evil place Adachi had known.

A voice rang out around Adachi, making him freeze,

"_Your twisted logic is that of an immature, egotistic brat!"_

A hand, thin-fingered and pale, gripped Adachi's shoulder. Adachi whipped around, only to stare into the face of Izanami. She smiled slightly, carefully. Another voice rang out,

"_People cannot live alone… If you shun humanity, it will eventually become hard to live in it."_

The corners of Adachi's mouth twitched, and he stared into the malignant red eyes of Izanami. Her eyes showed no emotion… it seemed as if she was completely at peace here in Magatsu Inaba. Adachi's stomach felt heavy, as another voice screamed,

"_You're just a worthless criminal!"_

And another,

"_You… you did this just for fun!?"_

And finally, a voice rang out, one Adachi recognized as his own…

"_All you have left is despair. The ultimate game over."_

Izanami's smile was thin, malicious, as the final voice rang. Again, of Adachi's own tongue,

"_The Truth is so disappointing. Everything is better wrapped up in lies, deceit. The truth will always, always be shrouded in fog!"_

And everything was silent, so silent. The fog hugged Izanami and Adachi from all sides. Adachi could feel Izanami's hand on his shoulder, the touch was angel-light, cold. Izanami's smiled twisted,

"Child of man, well done."

"O-on what?" Adachi's confident voice broke in the stutter, Izanami's smiled twitched, and the angel-light hand flew from his shoulder.

"On taking the first step to finding _your _myriad truth."

What she said confused Adachi even more, and his foggy eyes crinkled quizzically. Izanami whispered, hands stiff at her sides as her dress rippled above the ground,

"There are more demons other than myself that have escaped the gates of Yomi. Find this killer, child of man, and find your vindication…" Her voice trailed off, and she merged with the fog.

And then, Adachi jerked awake.

~Vindicated~

A tall man walked through the thick fog in the Shopping District, head held high, face shrouded by the shadow of his hoodie. A thin smile split across his face, and strands of hair, flashing silver, escaped his hood.

"And thus began the game of cat and mouse."

The tall man lifted his head skyward. The killer's eyes shone yellow in the fog.

~Vindicated~

Morning found Adachi rifling through Ebihara's murder report. Rule number one of the Police: Investigate all leads. And that lead Adachi to immediately investigate the single connection between Kashiwagi and Ebihara.

_Souji Seta._

Adachi highly doubted Souji would have anything to do with the murders. After all, Ebihara had died before Souji had come back to Inaba… but something nagged quietly at Adachi. Adachi felt as if he were chasing his own shadow, but at the same time… something big. Adachi quickly flipped through the three-inches of reports, until his fingers touched a paper headlined _LEADS._

_Souji Seta._

_Ebihara, Ai, had traveled to the city the day before her death. It is believed that Seta, Souji is the last one to have seen Ebihara, Ai. (Currently Investigating)_

Adachi felt his breath catch in his throat. Souji had seen Ai Ebihara the day before her death. April tenth. Adachi shivered, touching the paper lightly, tracing the type-writer clean handwriting. Souji wouldn't dare… he'd killed Izanami hadn't he? Saved Inaba, hadn't he? Been the golden boy of Yasogami High… hadn't he?

"_But even the kindest people," _Adachi frowned, and rubbed at his temples. _"Even the kindest people can abuse their power. That's the dark truth of this world. The dark, twisted truth."_

Adachi reached for a mug of coffee, and stared up at the clock. Red block letters stared back. _9:34 AM. _

"_Speaking of kind people," _Adachi took a sip from his coffee and smiled lightly. Hazel nut. _"Where's Dojima-san? He's never late."_

Adachi placed the mug down, and closed the manila folder with unnecessary force. It couldn't have been possible for Souji to kill Ebihara… but at the same time, there was just a small, little chance that Souji could've been able to throw Ebihara into the TV…

Adachi tangled his long fingers in his black hair. And a voice, a voice Adachi easily recognized crawled through his mind,

"_There are more demons than myself that have escaped the gates of Yomi. Find this killer, child of man, and receive your…vindication."_

Demons… Adachi rubbed at his temples and tapped the manila folder. Demons… Inner Demons? Inner Demons were like Shadows… Was Izanami trying to tell Adachi that Shadows were escaping the Gates Of Yomi?

Shadows… from the gates of Yomi… Adachi bit his lips and ran his hands through his hair. This was now crawling into the land of Makes-No-Sense. Adachi rubbed his temples, trying desperately to work things out in his head.

That was when the door slammed open, and Dojima stepped inside, looking bedraggled and worn. Adachi nearly jumped in his seat, and Dojima shot Adachi a Don't-Question-Me look. Dojima collapsed into his chair and sighed, rubbing his grizzled forehead. Adachi blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what the hell happened to Dojima.

Dojima's voice was heavy when he spoke, "I went over the case with the Chief. He's thinking along the same lines as you. This is definitely a different killer."

Adachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and stuttered back a reply, "O-Oh, really? That's good."

Dojima snorted derisively, "Not for Souji. They took him out of school to interrogate him." Dojima looked at the paper Adachi held in his hands and nodded. "They're going over the fact that he was the last recorded person to have seen Ebihara."

"_Souji couldn't have thrown the bitch into the TV," _Adachi bit his tongue to prevent the words from slipping from his mouth. _"That'd be against the brat's naïve morals."_

"There's no way in hell Souji could've killed her, Dojima-san." Adachi said instead, nodding earnestly. He placed the paper down on his desk and smiled lightly. Dojima's eyes lingered on the smile, and the corners of Dojima's mouth twitched as he echoed Chief Tohma's words,

"The law doesn't work that way, unfortunately."

Adachi's mouth twitched and he picked up the coffee mug, raised it and said,

"Unfortunately, indeed."

~Vindicated~

Souji Seta had been in the Inaba PD only twice before.

Once was when Yosuke had moronically began to swing swords around the Junes Food Court. The other was when Nanako had been kidnapped by Namatame. Those were little things. But this was a big thing. Not once did Souji expect to become a suspect in the very case he was investigating.

Yet, here he was, sitting in the interrogation room, in a steel chair, in a gray room with no windows. His interrogator threw a piece of ivory-colored paper onto the titanium table, and gently placed a tape recorder beside it.

"Case number 27616; interrogation of Seta, Souji regarding the murders of Ebihara, Ai and Kashiwagi, Noriko." He said monotonously as he held the record button down. The interrogator pulled a chair opposite of Souji and sat down. A chill ran down Souji's spine as the interrogator shot him an icy look.

"Souji Seta," His voice was just as icy, as coarse. "Are you or are you not responsible for the murders of Ai Ebihara and Noriko Kashiwagi?"

Souji shook his head and replied in a tired, derisive tone, "I am not, sir."

The interrogator let out an annoyed huff, as if he didn't believe Souji. The interrogator took a manila folder from the corner of the titanium table and removed another paper, which he placed in front of Souji. It was a picture of him and Ai holding hands, smiling at the camera. A knot tied in Souji's throat.

"Do you deny that Ebihara came to visit you on April the tenth?" The interrogator cocked an eyebrow.

"N-No," Souji choked down bitter tears. "She texted me that she was coming to visit the city the day before I arrived here." He pulled out a silver cell, "I have her text if you need to see."

The interrogator nodded and took the cell. Suddenly, the cell rang, and the staccato ring echoed through the interrogation room. The interrogator shot Souji a thick, twisted smirk, and shoved the cell in his pocket.

"I'll keep this until further notice. Now, about Kashiwagi…"

~Vindicated~

"Dammit, where is he!?" Yosuke dialed Souji's number again. "He always answers his phone!"

Yosuke, Yukiko and Chie all stood outside of Yasogami High. School had been cancelled early due to Kashiwagi's death, a fact that shocked the entire Investigation Team. Another person had died, and they hadn't realized it. Teddie and Rise were scouring the TV World, Kanji and Naoto were heading to the Dojima House to see if Nanako knew where Souji was, and the last three were stuck with fruitlessly attempting to call Souji.

"Y-You don't think he might've… I dunno, gone after Adachi?" Chie offered, watching as Yosuke dialed Souji's number again in desperation. Yukiko shook her head, shooting Yosuke a worried look,

"Adachi-san didn't kill Kashiwagi though, he was with Dojima-san the whole time." Yukiko bit her lip and shuffled her feet. Standing here was worrying her.

Yosuke shut his cell, and took a deep breath.

"The station has a TV though, as we all well know now." He growled, mainly at Chie. Chie shot Yosuke an incredulous look and growled back,

"Adachi said he was going to change his ways in prison! T-This is a different murderer, moron!"

Yosuke stomped his foot and glared at Chie. Yukiko giggled a little at the two's childish anger. It was kind've funny. The two stopped arguing when Yosuke's cell rang, and Yosuke practically lunged for it and opened it,

"Souji!? Dude, where are-"

"Hanamura-senpai? We have a problem on our hands…" Naoto sounded scared, and Yosuke froze as she continued,

"Nanako-chan has been kidnapped again."

~Vindicated~

Naoto's fingers shook as she attempted to steadily hold the cell next to her ear. Her other hand shook visibly though, and her eyes scanned the white note fearfully. Beside her, Kanji exhaled deeply and quickly.

_If you want to see your daughter again, you'll put Tohru Adachi back in prison._

_--You Know Who_

~Vindicated~


	6. True World Destroyed

**Sorry this chapter took so long too! D: I have had the craziest week! Anyway, the super-awesome-reviewer reward goes to Souji X Rise X Yukiko, for sending zee longest review yet! Thanks! Also, special thanks to everyone who reviews! I am always happy to see feedback, or better yet, criticism.**

**Thanks again and I hope you enjoy Chapter 6!**

Vindicated

Chapter 6: True World Destroyed

_Life is more than just…_

_The games you're playing…_

Time itself seemed to freeze. Yosuke froze, his fingers stiffening as they gripped the phone. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the mental ice that froze him shattered, and the phone almost slid from his grasp. Yosuke closed his eyes, the words slicing across his mind as if they were as clear as typing,

_Nanako-chan… is missing?_

Naoto, on the phone, sighed calmly and stated quickly, carefully, "We need to alert Dojima-san and find Seta-senpai."

A shadow fell across Yosuke's face and he nodded dumbly, almost numbly. He was still shocked at the news… at the news that Nanako was missing. Yukiko and Chie exchanged quick, fleeting glances. They could sense that something was wrong. Yosuke grimaced and conceded quietly,

"Okay. We'll call Rise-chan and Ted and all of us can meet up at Souji's house."

Naoto breathed sharply before a click sounded in Yosuke's ear, followed by an annoying beeping sound. He felt a chill run down his spine. There was no doubt in his mind that the person that had taken Nanako was the killer… whoever the killer was. Yosuke scowled darkly, before pocketing the phone and turning to Chie and Yukiko, who exchanged another glance.

"N.." Yosuke started nervously, "N-Nanako-chan's missing."

Yukiko raised a hand to her lips, her dark gray eyes growing wide with fear. For both Souji and Nanako. Chie's reaction was… less delicate. She looked to Yukiko, then to Yosuke and stomped her foot on the ground, eyes glowing in indignation,

"W-What are we doing standing around!? We have to save her right now!"

Yosuke fiddled with the headphones that hung around his neck before replying, in a soft, very uncharacteristic tone, "We need to tell Dojima-san first." Yukiko and Chie nodded and Chie ripped her cell from her sweater pocket, and smashed Rise's number into the cell.

"I'll call Rise-chan," She stated, looking up at Yukiko and Yosuke as she held the lime-green phone to her ear. "We'll all meet up at the station."

Yosuke nodded, before pulling his own phone from his pocket. He would call Naoto then, and tell her where everyone was meeting up.

~Vindicated~

"I'll ask again. Did you, or did you not, kill Kashiwagi and Ebihara!?"

The interrogator slammed his hands on the titanium table and stood up. The chair scraped loudly against the concrete floors of the interrogation room, and the interrogator's voice rang through the room as if he were talking through a megaphone. Souji lifted his head slowly, reluctantly, to meet the interrogator's gaze. His eyes were icy, and Souji's were tired, light.

Souji whispered his reply, shaking his head disconcertedly, "No, I didn't."

The interrogator wrinkled his nose at Souji. The same thing had been going on for the past two hours. The interrogator would attempt to catch Souji in a lie, and Souji would say the truth. He didn't kill Kashiwagi or Ebihara. But the interrogator refused to accept that as the truth. After all, the teen was their only suspect, their only lead. They needed to squeeze every drop of guilt and information out of the teen.

The interrogator opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Souji's ringtone. The staccato ringtone cut through the air, and the interrogator ripped the cell from his suit pocket and opened it, answering irritably,

"Souji Seta is currently under interrogation by the Inaba PD, please call _later." _He strained the last word, then shut the cell loudly.

"Turn it off." He grunted, tossing the cell to Souji. Souji caught it awkwardly, grimacing. His friends needed him, desperately. For what, he didn't know. But what he did know, was that whatever problem his friends had, they needed their leader.

Souji's first thought was that Adachi was up to no good again, but he quickly cast that away. Adachi had wanted to _remain _in prison, and Adachi surely wasn't foolish or dumb enough to try something when eight teenagers knew what really went on. Next was that another murder had happened, but this notion was also quickly thrown. There was no rain, and the fog settled this morning.

Now, Souji was scared. Because he had no clue what may have happened. He fingered the phone, deciding not to turn it off. His friends, thanks to the interrogator, would have no doubt decided to leave him alone now. The interrogator sat back down, took a deep breath, and folded his hands in front of him,

"Answer me truthfully," He said, staring at Souji, observing every movement the teen made. "Did you, or did you not, kill Kashiwagi and Ebihara?"

Souji felt a tight knot in his throat, and his eyes drooped tiredly. His mind… his head felt so light. It took him a while to piece together an answer, for Souji's thoughts were so abstract,

"I…didn't sir…" Souji rubbed at his head, feeling as if a fog hung heavily in his mind. Questions swam through his mind, bunching together until Souji couldn't understand anything. The interrogator scoffed,

"You stated that Ebihara never arrived at your house in the city. And that she had text you saying she was spending the day with a friend. In Inaba, as that text clearly says."

Souji nodded, rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand. He felt hazy, and the interrogator's probing questions and annoying insinuations were only making it worse. But he answered, rubbing his eyes as they began to feel heavy,

"Yes… this is true."

The interrogator reached passed the recorder for a manila envelope tossed to the corner of the table. Opening it, he pulled out a thin piece of paper. In the dim light, the thin piece of paper twinkled brilliant gold and red, and Souji recognized it as a train ticket. The interrogator placed the train ticket in front of him.

"This is Ebihara's ticket for the train to Takahama," He prodded the clipped end of the ticket. "Ebihara used it."

Souji felt his thoughts thicken, and eyelids become heavy. He drawled, eyes drooping,

"What are you… insinu-"

Before he could finish, Souji swayed drunkenly, and the interrogator's eyes widened. As he began to fall to the floor, the interrogator jumped over the table as he fell down, taking the chair with him. The phone in Souji's pocket began to ring as it skittered across the concrete floor, hitting the wall loudly.

Souji had passed out, and the interrogator quickly checked his pulse.

~Vindicated~

Nanako struggled against the tall man's grip. She recognized this place, for it had been in her nightmares several times. Heaven, but this time… something was different. The scary man with the sunken face did not kidnap her this time… Nanako _knew _this person…

"Why are you doing this!? Stop!" Nanako struggled, but her the tall man's vice-like grip kept her there. Back against chest, Nanako felt a hand clasp around her mouth.

The tall man's head craned towards her ear, silver strands of hair tickled her cheeks, and the voice the tall man spoke in was silky, alluring,

"Shh… quiet now, Nanako. Shh… maybe your mommy will come save you if you behave."

Nanako's eyes widened and tears prickled her eyes. She didn't like this man. He was mean.

Yellow eyes met brown and Nanako shivered.

She didn't like being in Heaven.

~Vindicated~

Naoto held her cellphone out in front of her, she blinked slowly, before furrowing her eyebrows in an annoyed expression. Everyone, save Rise and Teddie who were on their way, were outside the Inaba PD. The small circular loomed above them, painting a dull picture against the noon sky. Yukiko, Chie, Yosuke and Kanji watched Naoto as she pocketed the phone.

"I believe we will not have to find Seta-senpai. For he's already here…" She trailed off distantly, shooting the little police department an irritated look. No one seemed to understand, and Kanji was the first to voice his confusion in a very un-eloquent way,

"W-What's that supposed to mean? He rob the Shiroku store or something?" Yosuke rolled his eyes as Naoto shook her head.

"They're interrogating him about the murders of Ebihara and Kashiwagi."

Yukiko furrowed her eyebrows too, "But Souji-kun couldn't have done the murders. Ai-chan was murdered before he came to the city…"

Naoto nodded then replied calmly, "They did however find a used train ticket on the body. Ebihara had visited the city the day before her murder. So, unfortunately, the police are obliged to squeeze information out of every lead they have."

Chie asked then, cocking her head to the side, "B-But what about Kashiwagi? I mean, Souji _definitely _didn't kill her… right?" She added the last word uneasily.

Naoto shook her head, and tipped her cap, hiding her eyes under the shadows, "Yes, _we_ know that, but it's common knowledge here that Kashiwagi was a hated person."

Everyone sighed, letting the information hang over their heads like storm clouds. They all knew Souji wasn't the killer, but they could discuss what would happen next after they saved Nanako. After all, there was still a murderer on the loose…

"Hey guys! Guys!" Teddie's voice pulled everyone from their thoughts and they all looked up to see him and Rise running towards them. Everyone had a small frown on their face and Teddie puckered his lips, pouting,

"Hey!" Teddie winked. "Are you fighting over me again, babies?"

Yosuke smacked him in the back of the head and Teddie screeched as Yosuke yelled, "NO!"

Rise took a few seconds to catch her breath before saying,

"Nanako-chan is definitely in the TV World."

"So… it's final? The killer put her in there?" Yosuke asked. Everyone nodded, and Yosuke shuddered.

"There was also someone else in there… Not Adachi, not Namatame, Not Senpai…" Rise trailed off. And Naoto shook her head, proclaiming,

"We will find out soon enough. For now, all of us have reached an impasse. We're going to tell Dojima-san, get Seta-senpai and go save Nanako."

A few people chuckled, while most silently nodded. Naoto tapped the pocket where Nanako's 'ransom' note lay tucked.

What kind of criminal… no, what kind of _murderer _would ask that another murderer be put back in prison?

"_It would appear that Adachi-san has enemies we don't even know of…"_

~Vindicated~

Adachi had the strangest feeling something bad had happened. He sipped at his coffee, watching the clock with a fortuitous expression. Yes, there was that feeling of suspicion. Adachi just had the feeling something had happened…

Souji was still being interrogated, it had been quite a long time and Adachi wondered if they'd found anything. Adachi, albeit being on the case, had no clue what was going on. After all, nothing new had been found yet that he could investigate. He shot Dojima a slightly withering look. The poor man watched the clock as well, with an extremely disturbed expression. Dojima, although he wouldn't tell Adachi, worried for his nephew greatly.

That however, to Adachi, showed that Dojima doubted his nephew, despite his partner's insisting that Souji had nothing to do with the murders. Adachi glanced at the large, glass door and felt his breath catch in his throat.

He was right.

Something bad had happened.

The brats all walked towards Dojima's office in a fidgeting mass, quickly walking, almost running. Adachi found himself confused. The only reason they could be coming to Dojima's to warn him would mean…

Adachi felt his heart stop.

_Nanako-chan… something's happened to Nanako-chan!_

Dojima's back was to the door, so the older detective couldn't see them coming. Adachi turned his head back to the glass door. His eyes caught Naoto's, and Naoto nodded, almost as if to tell Adachi, to confirm to Adachi, that something had happened. The door burst open and Dojima sighed,

"Listen, Chief Arakaki, the papers got lost in…" Dojima stopped when he got sight of the group and his mouth was opened slightly in shock.

"Shirogane?" Dojima's voice turned questioning. "What's going on?"

Naoto, the ever-calm one, stepped ahead of the group,

"Dojima-san, Nanako is missing."

Adachi stood up, as Dojima's face paled. Naoto took a slip of paper and handed it to Dojima. Adachi's own face paled as the words, looped and elegant, spelled out a ransom. A ransom, that said quite clearly, that if Dojima ever wanted to see Nanako again, he would put Adachi back in prison.

"Nanako…" Dojima trailed off, and he lifted his gaze at Adachi. Everyone also turned towards Adachi, and he felt constricted, uncomfortable, but the question in Dojima's gaze was plain to him.

_Do you know who did this?_ It said.

Adachi shook his head and replied, in a slightly squeaky voice, "No. I-I don't."

Yosuke glared at Adachi, as if disgusted by Adachi's very voice. Chie asked Adachi, in a strangled voice,

"Do… you think… _she _took Nanako-chan?" Izanami. Adachi bit his lip. It was plausible. Izanami could believe that Adachi may spread her secret and decided to kidnap someone that would no doubt make Adachi go back to prison.

But, _she _was defeated.

"She?" Dojima's harsh gaze washed over all of them. And the ransom note crumpled under his fingers. "Who's this she?"

"No. You…" Adachi glanced at Dojima quickly. "_Captured _her. She does have a plausible reason but… I don't think so. It doesn't fit."

Dojima opened his mouth, but someone else pushed into the room.

Souji's interrogator.

"Detective Dojima, sir," The interrogator looked pale, scared. "Your nephew has passed out!"

Everyone looked shocked, and Dojima mouthed, _what?_

The interrogator was pushed by someone else. Souji.

"I'm fine, uncle." Souji said, the interrogator paled and ran out of the room. Yukiko rushed to Souji's side and asked him,

"Souji-kun… are you okay? Can you-"

"I'm fine, just light-headed."

"Nana-chan is missing…" Teddie whispered. He looked slightly drained, and Adachi felt bad for the Shadow. He beat himself up too much.

Souji's face paled and Naoto turned to Dojima,

"Make sure no one leaves this area. We'll search for Nanako."

Dojima nodded and as did Adachi. Dojima may not have known where they were going…

But Adachi did. And he wasn't going to let them go on their own.

"_I… have to save Nanako-chan too… for Dojima-san… for their approval."_

Although Adachi would never admit it, he did want the brats' approval. He wanted to be liked, not feared.

So he would keep an eye on them.

~Vindicated~

The familiar large-screen TV at Junes was just as everyone had remembered it. Souji felt as though he were dipping his fingers in warm water as he touched the screen. It felt weird, going through the screen, when everything had been over.

_But everything's not over. There's someone else who abused this power._

Souji jumped into the TV and everyone followed him.

Someone who would've been scared of falling probably would've died of shock the first time around, but Souji felt the familiar feeling of the wind ripping through his silver hair, and it felt good, until he smacked face first into the strange ground.

Rise was the first to gasp…

"The fog… the fog is back!"

Souji lifted himself from the ground and his eyes widened. The world was tainted again with the yellow fog.

The True World in people's hearts…

Had been destroyed by one person.

~Vindicated~

"Adachi, where are you going?"

Adachi looked back at Dojima, who looked even more bed-raggled than he did that morning. Adachi smiled, slightly and replied,

"I have an appointment at Junes. I'm…" Adachi's teeth glistened white. "Fixing my TV."

~Vindicated~

**Voila! The end of this chapter is done! :D This chapter was also going to be longer, but I shortened it slightly! :D I hope you enjoyed it!**

**FUN FACTS**

**Did you know that the voice actor that does the MC'S voice also does Adachi's?**


	7. Field Of Innocence

**To the people who believe they've discovered the killer and I know who you think it is… This story is going to be much longer than you think… :-D**

**I AM SO SORRY!!! I know this took an extremely long time, but my computer crashed about 5 times while I was in the middle of writing this. My computer may have a broken fan, so I'll get that fixed in a bit!**

**  
I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Vindicated

Chapter 7: Field Of Innocence

_I still remember…_

_The world from the eyes of a child…_

Heaven was as dangerously beautiful as the first time Souji arrived to save his cousin. Marble hung, suspended in the air, like floating snowballs and smooth diamonds. As gorgeous and majestic as Heaven was, a malignant aura hung in the air like a dark cloud, shattering the nice feeling that should've come with Heaven's calm appearance. Its childish exterior was beyond misleading.

Rise stood in the front of the group, holding the radar that her Persona, Kanzeon held to Rise's eyes. Rise's frantic expression made everyone feel a dark sense of dread. Rise bit her lip and Kanzeon disappeared in a flash of silver light. She looked around, her cheery disposition lost,

"Nanako-chan is definitely in there." Rise bit her lip, her reddish brown eyes catching Souji's scared stare. "There's someone else too… but their image is too foggy. I can't tell who it is…"

"Is it Adachi?" Yosuke offered his answer, pushing up the orange Teddie Glasses up his nose. Chie rolled her eyes, slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand and admonished her friend,

"Yosuke… Adachi-san didn't take Nanako-chan. Get that through your thick skull… or… or I'll…" Chie wriggled her right foot dangerously and Yosuke unconsciously moved his hands over his nads in a protective position.

Yukiko giggled, her high laugh rising above the following argument between Yosuke and Chie. Kanji's face colored in a strawberry blush, and Souji found himself attempting to hide the faintest of smiles. Teddie just cocked his head as if he were confused.

"Senpai," Naoto was also trying to hide a smile. "Since we've confirmed that Nanako-chan is indeed here, we should probably refrain from wasting our time."

Souji, and everyone else nodded. (Yosuke looked slightly ridiculous due to his 'protective' position.) The eight teenagers approached Heaven's pearly gates.

And, unconsciously, Souji touched the breast pocket of his jacket, where the silver Persona card lay tucked away as a memoir. A memoir no longer, he reminded himself, it was time to unleash Izanagi-no-Ookami once more.

_PER-SO-NA!_

~Vindicated~

The Velvet Room held an eerie air that noon.

Margaret's puzzled expression lay frozen on her face as she held the Demonic Compendium closer to her chest. Igor sat in the same place as he always did, wearing a weary, contemplative expression on his aged face.

"Master…" Margaret bit her lip as her master's eyes fluttered open, bloodshot and worn. "The man that was in here… was he not a foe of our fourth guest?"

Igor chuckled and echoed words Margaret had heard before,

"Everything that happens in this room happens for a reason. Whether that reason be malign or benign is all up to the guest that arrives here."

Margaret bit her lip, and whispered, rather pathetically, "But…"

Igor waved a white-gloved hand, and Margaret instantly hushed. On the circular table in front of Igor inside the blue elevator, appeared three cards, colored silver. The World; appeared on the far right, The Magician; appeared in the middle and Justice; appeared on the far left.

Igor stated, in a solemn voice,

"Do you remember what I said, Margaret?" Igor rubbed a dog-eared corner of The World Arcana. "That man transcended on a new journey that I, or Philemon for that fact, had not foreseen." Margaret's eyes widened at the mention of her master's master. Something even Philemon could not have seen? _That _was peculiar indeed.

"I do believe he may be our fifth guest." Igor said, a smirk contorting his bizarre features. Margaret looked down at the floor of the elevator, a puzzle expression on her face. Fifth Guest? That was intriguing…

_But that would mean…_

Margaret's lips parted in shock and revelation.

~Vindicated~

Adachi flipped the hood of his coat over his head. It had started raining when he left the Police Station, and the small drizzle had turned into quite the storm. Unfortunately, though, Adachi had left his umbrella in his apartment. So, here he was, garbed in a mauve raincoat, trekking through the Shopping District, heading for Junes.

An hour had passed since the brats had left the PD. That would mean that they had at least a good half-hour head start in the TV, and Adachi could trail them in peace, possibly even help them out. As Adachi approached the large electronics department, he thought of Izanami.

She had been defeated, had she not? But… she was a goddess, and therefore couldn't die. So… it would've been plausible to assume that Izanami could have wanted revenge for her defeat, right? Then Adachi was reminded of the dream.

A voice, a whisper echoed on the edge of his hearing,

"_There are more demons other than myself that have escaped the gates of Yomi. Find this killer, child of man, and find your vindication…"_

Why would Izanami help Adachi if she were behind this? Adachi rubbed at the sleeve of his raincoat, walking past the automatic doors of the electronics department. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize he'd tripped someone until it was too late. He whipped around, grabbing the man's arm as the stranger fell,

"S-Sorry!" Adachi apologized, pulling the man up.

He came face-to-face with Isao Takano. Takano blinked slowly, dumbly before mumbling, in a confused voice,

"Adachi-san? What are you doing here?" A grocery bag dangled from Takano's arm, and Adachi saw containers of microwave ramen. Adachi stuttered his reply, echoing the excuse he'd told Dojima,

"I'm fixing my…" Adachi's eyes shifted. "TV."

Takano cocked an eyebrow, and looked past Adachi,

"Am I supposed to assume that your TV's invisible? What are you really here for, Adachi-san?"

"_Dammit." _Adachi thought. _"He saw right through that."_

"I'm getting a new TV." He hastily replied, looking over at the large flat screen through which the brats usually jumped through. "Mine broke."

"Hm." Takano didn't seem convinced, and he folded his arms across his chest, the microwave ramen bouncing happily in the plastic bag. "Well, see you at work."

Adachi, relieved to not have to stand and chat with his co-worker, smiled the fake smile he'd put on a year ago, and replied, jovially,

"You too."

Takano nodded and disappeared through the automatic doors, his police badge flashing in the fake lights. Adachi let out a relieved sigh, and wiped the stupid grin off his face quickly. He shouldn't stand here dumbly, he had business here. And that business, at the moment, was his top priority.

He turned towards the flat screen TV and walked towards it. As he stood in front of the dark entrance, something akin to foreboding crawled down his spine. This was strange, standing in front of the very thing that destroyed his life. Adachi stared at his reflection in the screen, scowling darkly. An angry looking man stared back.

Adachi quickly looked around for anyone nearby. Strangely, the electronics department was empty, with not a single person in sight. Adachi reached a hand, hesitantly to the surface of the TV. As if he were touching water, white lines rippled across the black. Another voice, a cowardly voice, spoke at the edge of his hearing,

"_Should I really go through with this?"_

Another voice answered,

"_It's your own damn fault Nanako-chan is in there. Go!"_

Adachi dipped his fingers into the TV, hooking them. Warmth spread across his hand as he dug it further into the TV. When Adachi put his head in, he knew that there was no turning back. He had to help the brats save Nanako-chan, no matter what. So, he jumped from the electronics department floor, and felt the strange feeling of being thrown through the air.

And Adachi landed in the familiar world of fog.

~Vindicated~

The tall man cupped Nanako's cheek. He held the little girl frighteningly tightly to his body with spider-like limbs, making sure she had no chance of escaping the Tenth Paradise of her reality. The dais they stood on was encircled with gray angels holding trumpets, and the tall man watched them solemnly.

"Don't you wish they were real?" A manic grin spread across half of his face. "Don't you wish they could save you?"

Nanako squirmed, pulling against his vice-like grip.

"They can't, just so you know. You're alone here, and no one's coming to save you. Not your Big Bro, his friends, not Adachi-san that you were hoping to welcome back, not you daddy and _especially _not your mommy. They've probably forgotten about you. They don't care about you."

Tears pricked Nanako's eyes, she stopped squirming, instead listening to the tall man's harsh words. She shook, a sob coming from her mouth. Instead of the optimistic thoughts of rescue that ran through her head only minutes ago, her mind was plagued with doubt.

Would anyone save her? Was she really alone?

"Please," Her voice came out in the form of a sob. "Please just let me go…"

But the tall man only held her tighter, his silver hair fluttering in the breeze.

~Vindicated~

The familiar heavy feeling placed itself in Souji's mind. They stood outside of the Tenth Paradise Gate, and Souji felt good knowing that they were only a room away from Nanako. Although they knew that Heaven would be filled with weak Shadows, everyone was surprised to see none. They had come across not a single dark entity on their way here.

Souji patted the breast pocket where his Persona Card lay. Perhaps there would be no need to use Izanagi-No-Ookami until now, when they would no doubt face another killer. Souji tightened his grip on the large katana at his side, feeling extremely heavy.

Yosuke walked up to him, placed a hand on Souji's shoulder and asked, in a slightly concerned voice,

"You okay, Partner?"

Souji rubbed his forehead, and nodded. He'd lied of course. He was feeling terrible, and actually wanted to smack Yosuke in the face for asking when the answer was so obvious. But, Yosuke seemed to no he was lying, and walked away, an unconvinced frown on his face.

Souji looked around at his friends. To him, they looked like they were preparing for war. Yosuke swung his kunai in the air, listening to loud music on his headphones; Chie tightened her steel boots, a determined expression on her face; Yukiko folded and refolded her fan, with unearthly grace; Kanji held the titanium dinner dish expertly; Teddie checked the zippers on his bear suit and Naoto reloaded her pistol.

Yes, they very much so looked as if they were going to war. All they needed, was the war paint and feathered headdresses. Souji smiled, and almost laughed at the thought of Chie running around with an Indian headdress.

"Nanako-chan's on the other side of this gate…" Rise, who held Kanzeon's radar with curled fingers, stated, before looking up from the radar and adding, "Gate thingy."

Teddie blinked dumbly, "What's a thingy?"

Yosuke slapped his forehead, "She doesn't know."

Rise put the radar back over her eyes and frowned, "But…"

"There's no one else in there besides Nanako-chan."

~Vindicated~

Adachi ran through the marble-lined hallways, a determined and slightly crazed look in his eyes. The simple yellow raincoat he was wearing whipped out behind him, and the pistol he always carried was clutched in his hand. (Although he hadn't once needed to use it, surprisingly.)

Left. Right. Right. Left. Adachi felt as if he had been running around in the same direction the entire time, and, though he hated to admit, Adachi was lost. The young detective skidded to a stop as a different hallway came into his peripheral vision.

Wooden double doors covered in police tape lay at the end of the hallway, and Adachi flicked his wrist instinctively, bringing the pistol up to eye-level. A dark and icy feeling gripped his spine, running down it like a sharp finger.

As he approached the wooden doors garbed in police tape, Adachi tightened his hold on the pistol, wondering why something that obviously came from Magatsu Inaba would be in Nanako's reality. He was only a few feet away from the door now…

Adachi kicked it open, and held the pistol at arm's length, his eyes looking at the figure that lay crumpled in the middle of the dark room. The figure stirred, and pulled itself up from the ground. The sound of chains as they clinked against the ground reached Adachi's ears, and the figure became hauntingly familiar.

"Hey there," Came a dark and distorted voice.

The figure stood at full height, wearing black-and-white striped clothing, wrapped in rusty chains. An iron ball was attached to the figure's ankle, and when the haunting figure turned, the rusty chains glinted bronze in the fake light of the dimly lit room. The pistol in Adachi's hands dropped from his grasp, falling to the floor with a loud _thud!_

"Me."

Shadow Adachi's eyes narrowed into golden slits. And the real Adachi felt every muscle in his body freeze.

~Vindicated~

Margaret's lips parted in shock and revelation.

_That would mean…_

_That man has yet to face his Shadow._

~Vindicated~

The Gate Of The Tenth Paradise burst open, and everyone, still looking as if they were prepared for war, filled the dais. Souji ran up the stone stairs, flanked by Yosuke and Kanji, with godspeed. Nanako's body lay crumpled in the middle of the dais, her arms and legs splayed out as if she'd fallen and couldn't move.

Souji scooped her up, cursing whoever had done this to his cousin. Hating the killer with newfound determination. Nanako was breathing heavily, her small mouth parted as she took breaths in long, hard gasps. Her eyes were closed, and it pained Souji so much to see her like this. So vulnerable, so scared and so broken.

"Senpai…" Naoto's voice seemed so far away, as Souji held Nanako's broken body to his own. A tear ran down his face, hitting Nanako's and running down her own. Why did a little girl like Nanako have to go through so much? He wondered. Why couldn't fate spare her from all this pain? Souji's tear ran along Nanako's, making it look as if she herself had cried.

"Wait." Souji lifted his head to look at Rise. Kanzeon stood behind the idol, holding the radar to Rise's eyes, as the idol double-checked for Nanako's kidnapper. "Someone followed us in…"

The radar lifted from Rise's eyes, which were wide in shock,

"Adachi followed us in… He found someone else!"

~Vindicated~

Chains clinked against the floor, as Shadow Adachi walked a crawling walk towards the real Adachi. Shadow Adachi raised his fingers, which were inches away from the real Adachi's pale face.

"You idiot. You dumbass. You bastard."

~Vindicated~


	8. The Other Side Of A Fool

**Yay! First fight scene! :D And Flashbacks! :D And more fight!**

**Anyway, I am super-duper bad at writing out fight scenes, so I'm sorry if this chapter isn't up to par. It's mostly just fighting. D: Sorry! Also, I wrote this on Wordpad because my computer is all jacked up. (My fan finally gave out.) So, if there's more mistakes and errors in this chapter, it's Wordpad's fault. They got no spell-check.**

Vindicated

Chapter 8: The Other Side Of A Fool

_Just to see..._

_Another side of me..._

The man that wore Adachi's face stared at Adachi with peculiar, crinkled yellow eyes. The Shadow side-stepped, coming almost nose-to-nose with Adachi. Shadow Adachi's eyes flicked down, looking at the black pistol Adachi had so foolishly dropped, and the Shadow grinned malignly,

"That pistol of yours won't help you now. You're too cowardly to even pick it up."

The rusty chains that hung on Shadow Adachi's limbs clicked on the ground as the shadow tapped Adachi's pale face. Adachi stepped back, a scared, wounded expression on his face. Shadow Adachi chuckled darkly, folding his chain arms over his black and white striped chest.

"You're a chip of good 'ol dad's shoulder, you know that?" The feral, predatory smile of the shadow's spread across his face.

Adachi's eyebrows furrowed, his fists clenched and he stated indignantly, mostly to himself as if trying to convince himself it was the truth, "I'm _nothing _like that bastard."

Behind Adachi, the door opened, and Adachi didn't even need to look to know who it was. The brats. Although normally, Adachi would've been very alarmed, he stayed calm and focused on his shadow. Out of the corner of his eye, Adachi saw Souji clutching Nanako to his chest.

"Heh," Adachi returned his focused, angry gaze to the shadow. "Just like him. But then again, he's not really your father, is he?"

The fists at Adachi's side clenched harder, and his nails dug into his skin.

"Isn't a father supposed to treat his son well?" The Shadow shook his head. "What a joke! What an _idiot _you were! Simply because your his blood, you're forced to call him your father."

"I'm _nothing _like him. I don't ever have to worry about him." Adachi's voice wavered, betraying his slightly scared expression.

"Yeah, just because a thick wall of concrete seperates him from the world you think you're safe. But you're not..."

Adachi clenched his fists so tight, the nails broke his skin. Trickles of blood ran down his palm. Shadow Adachi continued, a malicious grin splitting his face,

"Because his blood runs through your veins. You're Kataki Adachi's son, therefore you are him, and_ I am you."_

"I'm nothing," Adachi pressed the word sharply, saying it through clenched teeth, "I'm _nothing _like him!"

Shadow Adachi let his arms hang at the sides. The rusty chains clacked against the marble floors, and a thick, black aura swirled darkly around the shadow. The yellow eyes looked down, then up, meeting Adachi's eyes,

"And what's this about killing people?"

Adachi froze, and a slight, sharp breath erupted from the group Adachi had forgotten was behind him. The Investigation Team leaned forward, listening intently,

"You saw the murders, and nothing else. Do you deny the large gap in your mind? Do you deny the fact that you can't remember anything about your murders?"

Adachi fell to his knees, feeling a dark, heavy feeling shroud his mind. It was like the fog. Visions flashed in front of Adachi's eyes.

A tall man thrusting a short-haired announcer into the TV. A scream erupting from a brown-haired girl's mouth. A fish-faced boy falling through a dark entrance. And a final vision, of a tall, dark man that raised a single finger to his lips. Adachi shut his eyes, choking on his own breath. His knees ached as they leaned against the marble. The Investigation Team watched Adachi like a hawk would to a mouse.

"You can't remember, can you?" Adachi lifted his head to stare Shadow Adachi in the face. Yellow eyes met black, and Adachi saw something so evil in the gaze that he forced himself to look away. "That's because you only _saw _them!" Shadow Adachi rolled his head to the side, and grinned manically,

"But then again, does it matter? You said yourself that the world would be so much better if no one pretended they didn't see things. It's just as bad, isn't it? Not doing anything."

Shadow Adachi stretched his arms out, and sang,

"Just like good 'ol dad, you and me. Murderers and cut-throat bastards. Just like him. Just like him! We're the same!"

Adachi clenched his fists, digging his nails into the already open wounds. He glared at his shadow, and said, so darkly, so angrily,

"YOU'RE NOT ME! I'M NOTHING LIKE THAT BASTARD!"

Shadow Adachi lifted a hand to his face, half-hiding it from the group. Yosuke mumbled something unintelligible, and the dark aura gathered around Shadow Adachi like white on rice. Shadow Adachi looked down at Adachi, with the one unhidden eye,

"Yes, that's right." The grin spread ear-to-ear. "I'm my own person now."

And Adachi saw nothing but black, heard nothing but Souji's scream, and felt nothing but the marble pavement as he smacked face-first into it.

~Vindicated~

Shadow Adachi spread his arms wide, and kicked the pistol in front of his feet to the side. The malicious black aura surrounded him, and Adachi lay crumpled on the ground at his feet, defeated. Shadow Adachi chuckled, his yellow gaze washing over the Investigation Team like a prickly tide,

"It's hilarious isn't it?" He drawled, lolling his head to another side. "You strove to uncover Adachi's supposed lies, only to discover that his lies were covered up by more."

Souji laid Nanako down on the ground, and stepped over her body, brandishing the two-handed sword dangerously. Souji flicked the glasses higher up his nose, and Yosuke stood beside him. Shadow Adachi laughed manically, snapping his fingers in the air,

"But it's even more hilarious to know that when you discovered those lies, you failed to realize the truth."

Naoto's quizzical yet critical gaze urged the Shadow to continue,

"Because you're gonna die here. But hey, maybe you can reconcile with Adachi in _Hell."_

The thick black aura shrouded the shadow, and something monstrous began to grow. A long thin, human-like structure rose from the black smoke, colored black and white monochromatically. Chains dangled from it's thin hips, holding black and white, happy and sad masks. Two arms, tangled like ropes, swung a ball-and-chain around and around. The face of the shadow, was vaguely like Izanagi's mask, but a mouth was there. One side curled into a frown, the other side into a sadistic smile.

The ball-and-chain swung slowly, and Shadow Adachi's voice rung out,

"I am a Shadow..."

Naoto loaded her pistol, Rise set up her radar, Kanji held his steel plate dangerously, Chie kicked the air, Yukiko unfolded her fan, Teddie swung at the air with his claws, Yosuke held his kunai tightly and Souji nodded, brandishing the two-handed sword.

"The true self!"

The ball-and-chain glinted in the dim light, and Shadow Adachi continued,

"I'm going to warn you, I'm my father's son!"

Souji looked back at Nanako's balled up body, checking to make sure she was okay. Upon seeing his cousin breathing, he returned his ashen gaze to the monstrous figure ahead of him. The ball-and-chain moved quickly, like lightning towards Naoto, knocking her to the ground.

Kanji quickly looked at Naoto, flushed, and glared darkly at the shadow. He raised his Persona card in the air, his jacket flapping out behind him, crushed the card and Rokuton-Mao appeared behind Kanji in a flash of silver light.

"Ziodyne!"

A flash of light crossed Souji's vision, and a crack whisked the air around the battleground. Adachi's shadow folded his arms, and the Ziodyne Kanji cast proved to be ineffective. Behind the party, protecting Nanako, Rise yelled out,

"Watch out! This one's really strong!"

Kanji snorted, and glared at the guarding shadow,

"How strong's really strong!?"

Naoto rose from her feet, cocking the pistol as Rise yelled out her answer,

"About the same as Izanami! So be careful!"

Yosuke smacked his Persona card with this elaborate kunai. Susanoo appeared behind him, his wild red hair dancing in the light. Yosuke, calculating the fact that Adachi's Shadow nullified Zio attacks, screamed,

"Garudyne!"

It worked. Adachi's Shadow was knocked backwards, the monochromatic black and white masks flying to the side as the Shadow fell to the ground. Souji nodded, smiling. The Shadow had a weakness, which was Garu attacks. Souji felt for his Persona card of Izanagi-no-Ookami and yelled out,

"Izanagi-no-Ookami!"

But, to Souji's surprise, Izanagi, in his gray garb appeared instead. Souji blinked dumbly, and Izanagi's head lolled to the side. Souji groaned, turned to the felled Shadow and said, half-heartedly,

"Cleave."

As expected, the weak attack did nothing at all and Adachi's Shadow got back up, floating in the air above the party as a mass of chains and monochromatic black and white. Souji grimaced, he only had Izanagi in his Persona deck, and he was better off just plain bashing the Shadow with his sword.

The really important question was...

Where did Izanagi-no-Ookami go?

Chie round-house kicked her Persona card and had Suzuka Gongen use God's Hand, and Teddie did a quick healing spell. Yukiko flung her fan at the Shadow, and not surprisingly, the fan did hardly any damage.

Shadow Adachi swung his ball-and-chain around, the weapon hitting the entire group at once. Rock flung everywhere, and a heavy dust hung in the foggy, malicious air. Souji coughed, as did several others around him. Souji placed a hand over his mouth, examining the air around him.

He couldn't see Adachi's Shadow anywhere...

It was almost as if...

"The Shadow's hiding guys, be careful!" Rise's voice was cut off by a cough. "The dust is a distraction!"

Souji lifted his head, looking for any shadow, any disturbance in the dust. There was none. Strangely, paranoia gripped Souji. He felt as if he were alone, as he could not see his teammates anywhere. It was smart of the Shadow, really, to create something that the Teddie Glasses could not see through.

Souji coughed again, and almost smacked Teddie in the head when Teddie tapped his shoulder.

"Sensei! I found you!"

"Teddie..." Souji let out a sigh of relief. The lonely thoughts left his mind as quickly as they had come.

"We've gotta find the others, Sensei! We need to beat this thing at its own game!"

~Vindicated~

Adachi opened his eyes. He had no clue where he was, only that he was wrapped tightly in a warm, royal blue comforter. He breathed in, and out, the smell of lavender invading his nose. Light filtered in through a clean window, illuminating beautiful specks of golden dust.

The room Adachi was in was decorated rather childishly. Lighter shades of blue painted the walls, and cherrywood shelves held up a collection of oddly-shaped rocks. Out of the corner of his eye, Adachi saw a scarlet train laying on its side on the floor.

His thoughts were fogged with confusion. Where was he? What had happened to his Shadow? Adachi gulped as an unwanted thought floated through his mind...

_Was he dead?_

"Tohru-kun!" The voice was high, cracked. The cherrywood door in the corner of the room burst open, and a little, grinning kid ran through the doorway. The second Adachi saw his sandy-brown hair, big black eyes and lopsided smile, he froze.

This little kid was Ouji Adachi, his little brother. But... **(A/N:Pronounced: Knee-joe)**

Ouji was _dead._

Ouji turned towards the bed, grinned his lopsided grin and ran a hand through his curly hair. He said, in a loud, slightly obnoxious voice,

"Tohru-kun! You gotta get up!"

"Ouji?" Ouji Adachi was good at discerning people's emotions, so Adachi's confused voice should've set off warning bells in the eight-year-old's mind. But, surprisingly, Ouji did nothing. He cocked his head to the side, grinned, and proclaimed,

"Dad's back! Remember? Mum said he was getting back early this morning!"

Adachi frowned darkly, a shadow folding over his eyes. Kataki Adachi was no father to him. Ouji frowned, mirroring Adachi's facial features. He tugged at Adachi's shirt,

"C'mon bro... you gotta see Dad or he'll get mad again..." Crocodile Tears, another one of Ouji's talents, filled his eyes and he pouted. "Please...?"

Adachi barely suppressed a smile, it was good seeing his brother again...

Even if it was in a dream.

As Adachi stood up from the royal-blue bed, his thoughts traveled back to what must be going on around him. The Investigation Team was no doubt fighting his Shadow as he stood here, in the childish room he lived in ten years ago. Ouji grinned his lopsided grin and ran out the open doorway he'd burst into a couple of minutes ago.

With a resigned look, Adachi followed him, taking a second to look around him. This was his home (Although he barely called it that). It was decorated with cherrywood floors and elegant, elaborate walls. As his room, Ouji's room and the master bedroom were on the second floor, a cherrywood staricase led down to the first floor, where Adachi saw Ouji dissapear.

Adachi followed him, savoring the almost other-worldly feeling he got from walking through the strangely familiar house. He passed a picture, and Adachi did a double-take, paling as he noticed the picture.

A man stood tall and proud, snaking an arm around his wife. This man looked remarkably similar to Adachi, with his combed black hair and narrow, mean-looking black eyes. Adachi resisted the urge to spit on the picture of his father, Kataki Adachi. Adachi ripped his eyes from his father to look at his mother.

Miki Adachi was a soft-looking woman, with long, curly brown hair and big brown eyes. She folded her hands in front of her, looking out at her son with a smile on her face. Adachi lifted his fingers to touch his mother's paper cheek, scowling sadly. She was taken too soon from them...

Adachi and Ouji stood hand-in-hand in front of the couple. Ten-year-old Adachi was strikingly different from the person he was now. The black hair Adachi usually had cut in a jagged style was combed and tamed into a bowl cut. Adachi's eyes were purposefully narrowed, and in the picture, betrayed his anxiety. He snorted at the picture, oh yes, he remembered the day he'd taken scissors to his hair in an act of defiance.

For lack of wording, Kataki Adachi was _pissed _when he saw what Adachi did to his hair.

Adachi smirked and turned his attention to Ouji. He looked the same as ever, with curly brown hair and big black eyes. A bandage was adorned on his cheek, as Ouji was infamously known for walking around in the woods (Knowing full-well he was a klutz).

Adachi smiled at Ouji's lopsided grin in the picture. Although their personalities collided greatly, Ouji and Adachi were always together, inseperable.

That was...

Until...

"Boy." Adachi paled and turned his attention to the harsh-sounding voice. Kataki Adachi stood at the foot of the stairs, a bottle of sake in his hand. He stared up at Adachi through sunken eyes. Adachi stared back, bristling at the sight of his father. Kataki took a swig of the sake, grimacing.

"Father." Adachi's voice was quipped, distant. Ouji appeared, standing at Kataki's side. Adachi bristled even more when he saw Ouji was frowning, nursing a red mark on his cheek. Ouji looked at him with pained eyes.

And, with a feeling similar to fear...

Adachi realized...

That this was not a dream...

But a nightmare. For this was the day that _everything _went to hell.

~Vindicated~

The dust cleared. Naoto coughed, helping Kanji up before loading her revolver again. Adachi's Shadow floated above the group, swinging the ball-and-chain threatingly fast. Souji held Yosuke's hand, helping him up as well.

"You're all so _stupid..." _Adachi's Shadow cackled, waving the free arm with bravado. "You've lost your grip on the truth. It wriggled away from you, and you didn't even notice until more lies were uncovered."

Teddie growled, Yukiko narrowed her eyes. Souji sighed.

"Illusion. Fog. It fooled us all. 'Cept me, of course." The Shadow's eyes gleamed gold. "I was already a Fool before that. I let myself be used like a puppet. And I foolishly believed I was the puppetmaster."

The Shadow stopped swinging the ball-and-chain, instead folding its arms over it's black and white chest. A distorted voice called out,

"Mabufudyne!"

Souji dodged the huge blocks of ice that were directed his way. Yukiko fell, and everyone, in their distraction, realized the Shadow had gained another turn. Chie hissed.

"Even if I didn't kill them," The distorted voice sounded suddenly sad. "I didn't save them. I'm not Namatame, I'm no Savior. I'm simply emptiness... and despair. But, I'm my father's son. It's his fault I hate the world so much. Hate _people in general _so much."

The Shadow swung the ball-and-chain at Chie, who was flung backwards, hitting a wall. Yosuke called out her name, and Souji and Naoto never once let the Shadow out of their sight. The Shadow choked on what sounded like a sob,

"He killed Ouji. He killed my little brother, and my mother."

Souji felt a wave of shock.

"He burned our home down to the ground."

Everyone exchanged shocked glances.

"And I almost killed him myself."

~Vindicated~

Everything went to hell on September.5.2001

Kataki Adachi stood tall at the foot of the stairs, Ouji nursing the bruise on his cheek. Kataki sipped at the sake again, and flicked his head, "Come."

Adachi reluctantly, obliged. Walking down the steps, Adachi felt his breathing quicken. What would happen? The memory of this day was hazy in Adachi's mind, because Adachi had attempted to block it out for so long. But memories came flooding back, as if a dam had broken inside of his head...

Fire, dark and swirling and angry. A revolver, clutched with pale, tiny hands. A father's face, mocking and taunting. A dead child, curled beside his dead mother. Fire. Choice. Hate. Despair.

Adachi caught sight of the revolver his father had strapped to his waist, and he gulped. He passed Ouji, following his father outside of the house and onto the porch. Behind him, he heard Ouji scramble out the front door, slamming it behind him. Adachi frowned, watching his father out of the corner of his eye.

Holding the now empty bottle of sake, Kataki leaned over the banister of the porch, looking out at the ocean view with a drunken expression. Adachi felt anxious somehow, yet fearful at the same time.

"It's about time you started following in my footsteps as the eldest son of the Adachi family." Although Kataki's face was red, drunk, his voice was sober, resigned. Adachi realized what this was. And remembered why his father had killed their family...

_All for some stupid game._

_Because I'm supposedly important because I was born two years after Ouji._

_Because my father's a sadistic bastard who's masochism I've inherited. _

"I get to become a detective? Finally?" Adachi said the words before he could even think. Kataki nodded, jerkily, snaking a hand over the butt of his revolver. Adachi took a sharp, scared intake of breath. He folded his hands behind his back nervously.

"S'bout time," The smirk that pulled at Kataki's mouth was not one of pride, but of mal intent. "You take my test."

"Test?" Again, Adachi said the words without thinking. And Adachi realized that he was a prisoner in his own body. He could not move, could not speak. He had to watch the past unfold again.

Kataki twirled the sake bottle in his hand, and told Adachi, as if he were giving his son an order,

"Go outside, send Ouji back in, go to the shore, then come back. There'll be a signal, and you'll know what it is when you see it."

Adachi wanted to stay there. He wanted to prevent what he knew was going to happen. But his legs moved on their own. He opened the sliding door and shut it behind him. He walked towards the front door, opened it, and saw Ouji sitting on the steps to their front door.

Ouji had his head bent, so he was looking at the concrete ground with a gloomy expression. It was strange, to see Ouji without his lopsided smile, and Adachi didn't like the hateful look Ouji shot him over his shoulder.

"What did Dad want?" Ouji's voice sounded hollow, angry.

"He wants to see you." Adachi answered, hands stiff at his sides. Ouji snorted, mocking,

"Yeah right. He probably wants to tell me to not bug you when you go about your _detective _buisness."

Adachi scowled. Ouji thought he was lost in Adachi's shadow, or that Kataki liked Adachi more. Being Kataki's eldest son and all.

_It's amazing how wrong some people can be._

"Ouji..."

Ouji's gaze was hard, angry. He rubbed the bruise on his cheek. Standing up from the steps, Ouji pushed past Adachi, opening the front door and slamming it behind him. Adachi sighed.

_Because of the sadist, everything went to hell._

~Vindicated~

The Shadow sunk to its knees. It looked defeated, but the smallest amount of strength was still left. Souji jumped forward, slicing his sword against the half-sad, half-happy mask. The Shadow brought his free hand, and smacked Souji away as if he were nothing but a fly.

Souji fell, skidding across the marble floor until Teddie hauled him back up.

The Shadow's eyes gleamed, glistened, and the head looked over to where Adachi's body lay crumpled on the ground. It said, in the distorted, malignant voice,

"I still think it's hilarious. That day."

Souji exchanged a look with Naoto, who threw him a Bead.

"I was so foolish. I should've guessed what my father was up to."

Souji threw the Bead in the air, healing himself.

"I guess..."

Souji switched his Persona to Kikuri-Hime and cast Smaerecarm on Yukiko.

"In the end..."

Yukiko stood, picking her fan up from the ground. She glared at the shadow, wiping a piece of sweaty hair behind her ear. The Shadow's eyes gleamed.

"I failed my father's test."

~Vindicated~

The ocean was so beautiful that day.

A mix of royal blue, light blue and baby blue. It was also eerily calm, Adachi remembered. Seagulls picked at discarded pieces of bread on the shore, making no sound at all. In fact, the only sound Adachi could hear was the sound of the tides as they blew softly to the shore.

Adachi's eyes closed, and he breathed in the smell of salt and seaweed and something that couldn't be explained. It smelled like... someone was...

_Burning _something.

Adachi's eyes opened and he turned around. His mouth parted in shock.

His family home had been on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. It was a very large, very old house... and the timber was noted to burn very easily. So that was why, when Adachi saw the smoke rising up from his house... he ran.

He ran until he couldn't run anymore.

But he was too late.

Fire. Dark, angry and malicious burned their home quickly to the ground. Now, there was nothing there except ashes...

And Adachi's family.

The first thing Adachi saw when he walked up the steps, pale-faced and afraid, was Ouji's body slung over the half-burnt banister of the stairs. The wind whipped his curly brown hair, and Adachi barely suppressed a scream.

"Ouji... OUJI!"

The upstairs hall groaned. And, with a loud, snapping _crack, _Ouji, and the hall, fell to the ground in front of Adachi. Ouji was now looking up, lifelessly, at the ceiling. Big black eyes met tearful black eyes, and Adachi choked on a sob.

Adachi needed to find his mother and father. Quickly, he needed to make sure they were okay. Adachi, slowly and spider-like, stepped past Ouji's body, shaking visibly with every step he took. The house was in ruins. Absolute, definite and destroyed ruins.

Adachi looked back, glancing at Ouji's slumped body. A tear leaked from a single eye, running aross his cheek until it dripped off his chin and onto the ashes below him.

_Stop._

_Calm yourself._

_Find mother and father._

_Maybe not everything is lost._

Adachi slunk through the kitchen, tears solemnly running down his face as he scanned the damaged room. His eyes caught thick strands of sandy hair and he stopped. A pool of blood washed his mother's body. Adachi felt his knees buckle, and he dropped to the ground.

_Despair. Sorrow. Sadness. Loss. Hate. Anger. Wrath. Pain._

His mother's eyes were wide open. Her brown eyes were frozen in an expression of pain and shock, and Adachi felt anger and hatred rage inside of him when he saw the bullet-hole that created a bloody tunnel between his mother's eyes.

This wasn't an accidental fire...

This, was _murder..._

And Adachi knew exactly who the culprit was without even having to think it through. His eyes shut closed, for a moment, and Kataki Adachi's hateful, sadistic face passed in the darkness. His hands clenched into fists. And an ugly feeling wrapped around Adachi's heart like a great black snake.

"Looks like you were too late, boy."

Everything in Adachi's mind spiraled down a tornado of hatred. He turned his head, still kneeling on the ground in shock.

The barrel of Kataki Adachi's revolver stared back. Adachi froze, not knowing what to do. Would he die here? Now? For the first time in his life, Adachi thought dying wouldn't be so bad. Kataki flicked his black hair behind his ear, and grinned maliciously, saying,

"You failed the test. You let your family die, and, more importantly, you let the culprit get away."

Kataki lowered the revolver, and bent down to Adachi's eye level. Black eyes met black, and equal levels of hatred floated in the air between the two. Kataki smiled, narrowing his eyes. He drawled,

"You're a failure. All the studying you put into school, all the times you listened to my lectures... it was all in vain. You let your mother die. You let Ouji die. Failu-"

A smack wiped the grin off of Kataki's face. His head snapped to one side, and the fist Adachi had brought across his father's face hung halfway in the air. Adachi blinked, his mouth opening slightly. He had done the unthinkable.

He hit his father.

Before Adachi could even react, he brought the fist across Kataki's face again, and pulled his father to the ground. Tears, bitter and hateful, streamed from his eyes as he punched Kataki again and again and again. The revolver was flung from Kataki's hands, and Adachi leapt for it before his father could reach it. His father sat halfway up, wiping a trickle of blood from a split lip.

Now, Kataki was staring into the barrel of his own revolver.

_Shoot him! Shoot him!_

Seeing the hesitation in Adachi's gaze, Kataki smirked. He whispered, in an angry, raucous voice,

"Are you going to kill me? Kill the last of your fami-"

"Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up." Adachi narrowed his eyes, whispering the same phrase over and over again. It was the only thing that ran through his mind at the moment.

Adachi felt his fingers press on the trigger...

Slowly...

Carefully...

"Stop." A new voice, and a hand, appeared on Adachi's shoulder.

The police had arrived.

And the rest of the day faded in Adachi's mind.

~Vindicated~

Adachi's Shadow screamed.

It dissapeared, in a wave of black smoke. And appeared again, in the same black and white striped outfit, its rusty chains clacking against the marble floor.

The Investigation Team breathed heavily, coughing and wheezing in overexertion.

"Enough. That's enough." Adachi walked towards his Shadow, his black eyes narrowed in something similar to realization.

The Shadow looked up, catching Adachi's eyes. The Investigation Team watched him, like a hawk would to a mouse. Souji stepped forward and Adachi looked back at him. Souji nodded, and Adachi nodded back. He turned to his shadow, and stated, quietly,

"A part of me thought I was just like my father. He was a bastard. A sadistic, masochistic bastard. Everyone around me was so careful, so... stupid. If that police officer hadn't... If I'd just shot the gun..." Adachi smirked, shaking his head.

"I could've become a murderer that day. I would've avenged Ouji, mom. But I didn't, I couldn't. Even after all that though, and after everything that's happened, I thought myself to be just like him."

Adachi coughed. "But..." Shadow Adachi looked up, thinking Adachi would deny him again. "There's one big difference seperating us..."

"I was able to get past it. And he never will."

A smile, not evil or dark, crossed the shadow's face. The demonic version of Adachi dissapeared in a cloud of silver light, and words, clear as day, rung out in the marble-covered room...

_The strength to face's ones self has made manifest._

_Adachi has acheived the Persona..._

_Bishamon, the god of war._

~Vindicated~

**THAT WAS SO FREAKING HARD TO WRITE!**

**Bishamon's appearence will be described in next chapter. :)**

**I hope Adachi's backstory doesn't put anyone off. I tried to keep it as consistent as I could, but making sure it explained a lot of things. After all, Adachi's father hasn't made his final appearence in this story yet... :)**


	9. Aria Of The Soul

**Currently on vacation, so updates may be slow. Sorry. :(**

**On a lighter note, my computer will be fixed soon. So goodbye Wordpad and stupid errors.**

Vindicated

Chapter 9: Aria Of The Soul

_Carry My Soul..._

_Into The Night..._

Bishamon stood tall and proud in front of Adachi. He was a thin, human-like monster, garbed in black and white robes that crossed in a checker-board pattern. Rope-like arms dangled at the side, carrying two spiked maces, oddly reminiscent of the ball-and-chain his Shadow had previously used. Two masks hung on Bishamon's shoulders. On the left, was a sad mask. On the right, was a happy mask. A third mask made up Bishamon's face. This mask, was reminiscent of Magatsu Izanagi's mask.

A voice, cold, proud and smooth like liquid velvet, murmured into Adachi's ears,

_"Thou art I. I art thou. Thou is thee who hast awakened I."_

"So... _this _is what my true Persona is." For what seemed like the millionth time today, Adachi fell to his knees. Adding quickly, "Ungh, awesome."

Bishamon nodded, crossed a spiked mace over its heart and dissapeared in a flash of silver light. Adachi saw a familiar grooved card float from the area Bishamon dissapeared, and he grabbed it, flipping it over to see Bishamon staring out at him. Adachi closed his eyes wearily and chuckled darkly,

"I guess..." Souji stepped forward, holding Nanako, watching Adachi. Adachi continued, "I wasn't better than any of you after all. In the end, I saw my Shadow as a mere monster, a mere ghost of myself."

Behind Souji, Yosuke bristled, clenching his kunai unesscessarily tight. Adachi opened his eyes, staring up skyward at something the Persona Users couldn't see. He proclaimed,

"Ouji...mom... I wondered if you looked at me and saw Kataki Adachi, the bastard. Maybe you do. Maybe one day I'll find out." Adachi smiled, a vicious, feral smile. "I really, truly believed that I was my father. But... I can't even remember the murders. And it's true that I only saw them."

Adachi stared at the ground, and said, mostly to the tentative group behind him,

"That means that whoever murdered Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi are still out there, waiting. Watching. Laughing at our stupidity." Adachi clenched his fingers into fists, feeling the wounds he had dug into his hands when his Shadow laughed at him.

Adachi coughed out, angrily, hatefully,

"That son of a _bitch."_

Souji, mysterious and understanding as always, smiled when Adachi looked back at him. Adachi stood, feeling something heavy and weary in his bones. There was nothing insane, fluid-like in Adachi's movements. He didn't have a face that looked as if he were high on power. Adachi didn't pick up the pistol that was several feet away from him and wave it around.

No, it was as if the crazy madman from only five months ago had dissapeared.

Yosuke, however, didn't seem to accept this. He stepped forward, almost protectively, to stand beside Souji. He stared Adachi down, and asked, dangerously quietly,

"Did you throw Nanako-chan into the TV?"

Adachi's gaze hardened, and they were icy. He clenched his fingers and stared Yosuke down as well. He retorted, in a that-is-so-absurd voice,

"Believe it or not, I actually see Dojima as a friend. I wouldn't even dare touch his only kid, much less hurt her." Adachi's eyes closed, and he continued, "And I want to find Kashiwagi and Ebihara's killer just as much as you do. Whoever found out my hat trick-"

"Not yours." Souji reminded him. "Someone else's hat trick. If you only saw the murders, then someone else murdered Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. That same person is most likely the same killer that killed Kashiwagi and Ebihara. Whoever that person is."

Adachi chuckled, hanging his head,

"Guess you guys celebrated too soon, huh?"

Souji nodded, clutching Nanako tightly to his chest. Yosuke glared to the side. Kanji's eyebrows stitched together. Yukiko fingered her fan. Chie looked at the ground. Teddie bit his lip, nodding. Rise pulled at one of her red-haired pigtails. Naoto simply fixed Adachi with a critical stare. Souji replied, smiling mysteriously,

"I guess so."

Teddie now stepped forward, standing between Yosuke and Souji. The blond Shadow had a slightly concerned look on his face,

"Sensei..." His gaze dropped to the floor. "We should get Nana-chan and Adachy-baby back home as soon as we can."

Souji nodded, looking down at his cousin who was nestled in his arms. He was dog-tired. Souji turned to Yosuke and handed the headphone-wearer his cousin.

"Take Nanako to the hospital," He explained. Yosuke nodded and Souji turned to fix Adachi with a piercing look,

"I'll make sure Adachi-san gets home."

~Vindicated~

The light rain pounded against the concrete in the Shopping District. A figure, tall and menacing stepped forward. A beige raincoat fluttered out behind them, as if it were several sizes to small. The figure proclaimed quietly,

"The game of cat and mouse has only begun."

A second figure stood beside the first. Silver hair seemed painted on this figure's forehead, and yellow, almost golden eyes glared out. This figure smiled, and said,

"It's fun to play puppet master isn't it?"

The first figure only smiled, and nodded in reply.

~Vindicated~

They were a strange sight, Adachi had imagined. Adachi was leaning against Souji for support, his arm slung across Souji's shoulders, the two walking in perfect synchronization. It was much different than the last time Adachi had to be taken from the TV World, that was for sure.

The last time Adachi had to be taken from the TV World, Souji had held him at arm's length, as if disgusted by the thought that he had to make sure Adachi was alright. Now, the mere irony of the fact that Souji was giving Adachi support willingly was enough to make the young detective double over in laughter.

But, he suppressed the urge and simply smiled weakly. Something Souji surprisingly returned.

The two were only a few feet from Adachi's apartment, and Souji had already explained that they would have to go over the facts tomorrow, in case Adachi remembered anything significant about the murders.

Yamano's and Konishi's murders, not Kashiwagi and Ebihara's.

It was strange, having to backtrack after a year of attempting to solve the case. Everyone, Adachi included, had believed that he'd killed the first two people. Yet, looking back, Izanami had never confirmed who killed who, why they did so, and blah, blah, blah. Yes, looking back, Souji realized that Izanami had only closed the final hole in the case: the origin of the Midnight Channel.

Of course, someone had taken a gun to the case and put more holes in it. Holes, that only the Persona Users, and Adachi, could stitch up again. (Of course, if this were literal, they'd just need Kanji and everything could be just peachy again.)

But, everything about the damn murder case never, ever made any sense. Personally, it was frustrating, and that was it. Yes, if the murders in Inaba could be summed up in one word, that word, would be frustrating.

Souji shook his head. He needed to save his theories and deductions for tomorrow, when Adachi could possibly remember something. Until then, Souji would have to twiddle his thumbs and wait around.

_Well, _he thought snidely, _There goes a few hours of well deserved sleep. I'll be up thinking about this all night long._

Souji felt the light rain touch his cheeks and he looked up at the black, gray and silver clouds merging in the sky. Then again, he would be up until midnight to check the Midnight Channel. No harm no foul, he supposed.

Adachi and Souji stopped when Adachi commented,

"Here."

Adachi dipped his fingers into the yellow raincoat he was wearing and pulled out a single key. Dangling off said key, was a leather key-chain. On the leather key-chain was engraved a date...

_Ouji and Miki Adachi. September 5 2001._

Adachi rubbed at the date, frowning, before turning to Souji,

"I'll be fine from here on out. Thanks, Seta-san."

As Adachi stuffed the golden key into his apartment door's key hole, Souji asked him, in a plainly curious voice,

"Why do you think Magatsu Izanagi and Izanagi-no-Ookami dissapeared?"

Adachi turned the key, and also turned around to face Souji. He shook his head, his eyes betraying equal curiosity on that matter. Behind Adachi, the door opened with a click. He replied, looking skyward up at the dark, gray and silver clouds,

"I have no clue. But..." Adachi scowled darkly. "If we ever see Izanami again, maybe we'll find the answer."

Souji nodded.

And Adachi opened the door, and slunk into the dark shadows of his apartment. Shutting the door behind him, Adachi almost immediately fell on the couch.

He was asleep before he even hit the pillow.

~Vindicated~

Souji watched the door close shut before turning on his heel. The rain still spattered gently and lightly on the little road through the Shopping District. But, Souji, in the midst of the chaos of Nanako going missing, had forgotten his umbrella.

_Dumbass. _He reprimanded himself. Souji ran quickly through the rain. It was dark, and it was cold. And Souji would kill Yosuke if Nanako managed to catch a cold because Yosuke didn't pick up the pace. Souji kept running, letting his mind trace backwards as he ran towards home.

Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, Ai Ebihara and Noriko Kashiwagi. Four deaths that they had failed to prevent. Mentally, Souji punched himself in the gut. They should've seen it coming, should've been able to prevent it. But... they had let their guard down because they had foolishly believed that someone else wouldn't use the TV for bad reasons.

_Not someone else. _Souji reminded himself, tripping slightly over a random pot hole in the street. _The same person. Not Adachi-san._

It was hard to believe that the Investigation Team had missed this. Because they had seen Adachi in the TV, after all. That was a contradicting fact that Souji had been mulling over.

Adachi was seen in the TV. He had confessed to the crimes. And he had attempted to kill the Persona Users.

So why was it that Adachi had supposedly not committed the crime?

Souji rubbed his forehead and sighed as he reached the Dojima house. He had a feeling he would find the answer to that question soon enough.

For now, he just needed to inform Dojima that Nanako was safe. And in the hospital.

The deductions could wait.

~Vindicated~

When Adachi saw the strangely familiar blue walls of the Velvet Room, he nearly swore.

The elevator, which continued forever downward, was still the main theme of the Velvet Room. And, as always, the bizarre old man that had called himself Igor, was sitting behind a small table. A deck of cards sat in the middle of this table.

"Welcome." Igor stated, as Adachi peeled himself from the floor of the elevator. Margaret held the Demonic Compendium in her lap tightly, watching Adachi through golden eyes.

Adachi blinked slowly, dumbly. He was trying to comprehend why he was having the same dream he had only a day ago. Wasn't there a one-in-a-million chance of having the same dream twice? Weird.

"Do not be alarmed," Igor waved a white-gloved hand calmly in the air. "You are fast asleep in the real world."

Adachi nodded. Dumbly.

"I have summoned you within your dreams. So, we meet again."

Adachi nodded again. Again, his nod was dumb.

It would appear, that Adachi had arrived in the Velvet Room once more. Margaret lifted her head, and spoke for the first time,

"This is a space -in which only those who have in some way recieved a contract- may enter"

Adachi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He had entered into a contract of agreement with Izanami, hadn't he? Wouldn't that mean he should've been able to enter the Velvet Room a year ago? Strange.

Margaret continued, rubbing at the dog-eared book in her lap,

"In your daily life, you faced yourself, and awakened your Persona. In a way, you subconciously followed the call to awaken. So, you have recieved a new contract. A second one."

Igor reached into a pocket of his expensive-looking suit, and pulled out a key. It was ultramarine, and extremely shiny... and, like everything else in the Velvet Room, it was elegant and expensive-looking. Igor passed the key to Adachi, who took it in his hand.

Igor smiled grimly, and leaned back in his blue suede couch,

"From this night forth, you are our guest in the Velvet Room."

"Isn't this a dream though?" Adachi asked. He twirled the key with his fingers. "And why the hell is this thing solid? Vivid much?"

Igor chuckled,

"As you form bonds with others, your own powers will gradually develop. This system, is called Social Links. You may not be one of the wild card, but you are quite... intriguing."

And with that note, everything went black yet again.

But, that was not the end of Adachi's vivid dreamings.

~Vindicated~

Souji felt the smell of sake and cigarettes hit him before he even took off his shoes. Dojima had fallen asleep in a drunken stupor, clutching Nanako's hot pink pillow to his head. Souji walked around the couch, and picked up the home phone that had fallen from Dojima's grasp.

_Good, the hospital called._

Souji breathed a sigh of relief. That meant Nanako was safe yet again. Souji caught sight of a crumpled piece of paper on the table, and picked it up.

Wet spots smudged the ink, but Souji could clearly tell that this was the ransom note that Naoto had found earlier this morning.

_Why the hell would the murderer want Adachi back in prison? That's a weird desire._

More like a stupid one. Souji frowned, folded the note, and tucked it into his school bag. Really, a child's life in exchange for an adult to be put away. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Souji looked up at the clock, to see it was almost midnight. He turned his head towards the TV in the corner of Dojima's living room, and saw as the black screen became static. Souji looked at the snowy screen, waiting for something to pop up.

Nothing did.

Souji smiled, and took a deep breath.

They had saved not one life, but two.

And to Souji, that was more than enough.

~Vindicated~

Adachi groaned when he realized he was in yet another dream. This time, the area around him was covered in fog. But...

"Good evening, Child Of Man." Izanami stepped forth from the fog, watching Adachi through scarlet eyes. She nodded, and smiled mischeviously. Adachi blinked.

"I..." His voice was caught in his throat. "Izanami..."

Izanami nodded, and ran a hand through her tangled white robes. She stated, in a thin, cutting voice,

"You have questions."

Adachi smirked, and folded his hands over his chest. He proclaimed wryly,

"A million of them, actually."

"I have a million answers. But first,"

Adachi's black eyes locked with Izanami's scarlet. A heavy tension hung in the air, and Izanami echoed words he'd heard before.

"There are more demons other than myself that have escaped the gates of Yomi, child of man. Find this killer, find him, and recieve your vindication."

Adachi scratched the back of his head. He'd heard her say those words in his daily life. Why were they so important? What was Izanami trying to tell him? He voiced his question,

"Why are those words so important? What the heck are you trying to tell me?"

"The answer," She answered him, toying with her long white robes. "Lies within the context itself. The question you are asking is: Am I smart enough to know what that means?"

Adachi frowned, and glowered at her. He retorted,

"Gee, that's very helpful, Izanami-san." He now asked, "Why are you in my dreams?"

"To help. To let you know that there is more going on behind the scenes than what you assume."

Adachi leapt forward, gripped Izanami's arms and held his face only inches from hers. He snarled, his eyes looking as vicious as they had looked during the Magatsu Inaba incident,

"I want answers! I want truth! All you're doing is dissuading me from that! All you're doing is raising questions! I want ANSWERS dammit!"

Izanami only smirked, and said, her cool breath lingering on Adachi's lips,

"Then ask, and I will answer. Mankind's desires... are my desires."

Adachi closed his eyes, took a deep breath and asked,

"What happened to Magatsu Izanagi and Izanagi-no-Ookami?"

Izanami smiled, and replied, gripping Adachi's arms as he held her in place,

"Do you really think that the gods of truth, would help two people who couldn't distinguish between lie and truth? Do you?"

The grip on Izanami's arms tightened.

"I had given power to people who could brave the hollow forest that was human intentions. That power weakened. You abused it, Namatame refused it, and Souji was able to keep a small percentage of his power. Because he had used it correctly."

Adachi's lips curled into a frown.

"That is the answer. That is the truth. Congratulations, child of man. You stitched up one hole in the case. Now, there are more that need your attention."

Izanami lifted a hand, and covered Adachi's eyes.

When the hand was removed, Adachi was back in his apartment, laying on his couch. He groaned into a pillow.

At least one question had been answered.

~Vindicated~

**I'm gonna say it. I don't like this chapter. :(**


	10. A Case Not Yet Solved

**A week. D: I'm so sorry, guys! I had a vacation, and I couldn't get anything done! D: D:**

**Anyway, I'll be back to regular updates after this! So, get ready to read~!**

Vindicated

Chapter 10: A Case Not Yet Solved

_I thought I knew everything... _

_But I was a Fool..._

_April 15th 2012_

The one good thing about Sundays?

Adachi had his days off.

The bad thing about Sundays? This Sunday in particular?

He had to meet up with eight brats he had hated for so long and tell them what he knew, and what he could remember. And he didn't have all day to mull over what he should tell and what he should withhold. In the middle of Junes, no less. Really, they should've kept their little conferences in a more... quiet area. Particularly a place where they could be sure no one was eavesdropping on them.

But... Adachi had no choice. As much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to solve this mystery as well. If Izanami's words rang true, and there was something going on that was beyond the boundaries of what everyone was thinking... then Adachi needed to help them. In fact, he was _obliged _to.

So here he was, dressed in a simple black jacket and pants, his hair messier than usual, heading to the middle of the Junes Food Court. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. Most Sundays, Adachi would've been holed up in the Police Department with Dojima, going over the Yamano and Konishi case. Because he had nothing better to do.

This Sunday, he was now repeating that custom. Without Dojima, unfortunately. Now, he had to go over the case with eight teenagers that he hated greatly.

Tch, he should've brought coffee. Just to make it seem like any other Sunday.

Adachi's stomach grumbled. (He'd foolishly skipped breakfast, opting to sleep another hour and try to see Izanami again.) Coffee and donuts sounded particularly good today, actually. Frowning, he tried to brush off the ugly feeling in his stomach. He would eat later.

Adachi looked over towards the Food Court, not surprised to see seven teenagers crowded over a small white picnic table. Unease and anxiety was almost crystal clear on their faces. Adachi noticed that Hanamura was absent, and he didn't even need to think to come to a conclusion.

Yosuke hated Adachi, and with good, yet hypocritical, reason. Yosuke must have still believed that Adachi killed Saki Konishi.

Yes, very hypocritical.

Adachi approached the group, sticking his hands in his pockets. It was still pretty awkward, talking to the teenagers who put him in prison. He would never have the same easiness he had when he was just a quirky detective who blabbed too much in their eyes. No, both Adachi and the Persona Users had mixed feelings toward each other, after everything that had happened.

Which brought many questions to the table.

Who really killed Yamano and Konishi? Why did the killer decide to kill Kashiwagi and Ebihara, when Adachi was in prison? Who kidnapped Nanako? Why couldn't Adachi remember anything?

Adachi ran his hand through his messy hair again, the questions running through his mind again and again. He stopped as the seven all looked up. Souji smiled slightly. Teddie grinned. Rise bit her lip. Everyone else, tightened their expressions, as if not sure how to react. Adachi remained expressionless, and just greeted them with a simple,

"Hey."

As expected on both sides, awkwardness and tension hung heavily in the air. Surprisingly, it was Yukiko who broke the silence with a cough, and then said,

"U-Um... take the seat next to Souji-kun and we can begin, Adachi-san."

Adachi strode past them, taking the empty eight seat next to Souji. Naoto spoke this time, her eyes narrowed in a thoughtful expression,

"Hanamura-senpai will not be joining us today. He's decided to..." She glanced up at Adachi. "Sit this one out."

The tension in the air rose significantly, and Adachi wondered if he'd accidentally intruded on something between friends. Beside him, Souji placed his elbows on the picnic table, folded his hands and placed his chin on his folded hands, scowling. Yes, now Adachi was sure of it. He had intruded on something.

"But we must go over this case. Now that new facts have arisen." Naoto proclaimed, folding her hands in her lap. She continued, "We now know that the first case has not truly been solved, and that the killer of both Mayumi Yamano, and Saki Konishi also murdered Noriko Kashiwagi and Ai Ebihara and also, subsequently, kidnapped Nanako-chan."

All eight of the surrounding people nodded grimly. Naoto again continued,

"We also know now that someone other than Adachi-san murdered all four of these people."

Adachi grimly smiled at the thought of his Shadow. The window to his subconscious. It was awfully embarrassing to bare all of his thoughts to the world. In a way, Adachi felt naked without his secrets, his agendas, and his hidden thoughts. The other seven nodded, slightly stiffly, as if they felt bad for Adachi, for themselves and for the victims of the murders. Naoto finally proclaimed,

"These are all the facts that we know. But we can theorize, and deduct." She dipped her fingers into the pocket of her blue jacket, and pulled out a thin piece of paper, looking very wrinkled as if it had been folded and refolded several times. She placed it in the middle of the white picnic table, and said,

"Do any of you recall the ransom note I said was at Seta-senpai's house? It said clearly, that if Dojima-san ever wished to see Nanako-chan again, he were to put Adachi-san back into prison."

Souji reached for the piece of paper and opened it, his eyes going back and forth as he read it. Souji colored slightly in anger, and Adachi felt the sudden urge to scoot a few inches away. Souji placed the paper back in the middle of the picnic table, a shadow crossing over his face. Naoto now said,

"From this paper, we can deduce that this was written by an enemy of Adachi-san's." She looked up into Adachi's face, and asked, "Adachi-san, do you know who that may be?"

Adachi was reminded vaguely of the time when all eight of the teenagers came to confront him about the evidence they had found. He shuddered, and thought back. An enemy? Adachi wasn't sure he had one. He was actually pretty well-liked at the PD for his jovial attitude and uplifting manner, so he replied,

"No. I don't see any reason for anyone at the PD to come after me. I was a pretty laid-back guy until five months ago. I was very careful to not piss anyone off."

Souji spoke up, brushing his bangs to the side, "It could be possible that whoever sent this note wanted Adachi to go back to prison, so he wouldn't get caught. I mean, Adachi was on the news because of his release. Plus, he was going to be put back on the case."

Chie smiled, "Y-Yeah, you're right. It's possible that this is just some random guy that doesn't want to be caught. It doesn't have to be Adachi-san's enemy… right?"

Kanji furrowed his eyebrows, and scratched his chin, "Well, won't this make whoever's doin' this a dumbass? I mean, the guy was murdering people while Adachi was in prison for the other guy's crimes. I mean… seriously?"

Adachi spoke this time, looking downwards, "If this guy believed in making a new world, he wouldn't just stop with two victims. Really, if this guy was making a… utopia of sorts, he needs more victims, more people that are -in this guy's eyes…- just plain screwed up."

Teddie cocked his head to the side, looking as if he didn't exactly understand. He asked, running a hand through his long blond hair,

"So… you mean he's trying to make a new world or something? Gee… weirdo."

Everyone stared down the piece of paper in the middle of the picnic table, a wondering and slightly fearful air hanging above them. A New World? Adachi suppressed the urge to laugh. It was irony, really. To have Adachi, the very man who'd once wanted a new world filled with Shadows, work with them on a case that could've had a culprit who wanted the same thing. Ironic. I-RON-IC.

Naoto commented finally,

"I assume we've all come to the conclusion that this paper doesn't help us at all, then?"

Only seven nodded. Adachi didn't, instead, he spoke,

"Not exactly. With this note, we are now pretty much positive that the killer is pressured into doing this. That he's gone to the length of trying to make the only person in this town who can put me back in prison do so."

Rise bit her lip, and stuttered,

"B-But won't that mean they'll try this again? They could…" She trailed off, kicking her feet under the table listlessly. She looked worried, anxious.

Naoto shook her head,

"Hanamura-senpai made sure that Nanako-chan was well guarded. I informed the Police Department that there should be a guard by her at all times, until the kidnapper is caught. If they listen for once, we should be fine."

Adachi exclaimed, sounding extremely fearful,

"Hey… wouldn't there be a possibility that the culprit is in the police? I mean… no one's exactly struck that from the board of 'maybe's'."

Souji cocked an eyebrow, and said, almost mockingly,

"This your detective's intuition?"

Adachi smiled, but colored slightly. He retorted,

"That's Dojima-san's thing, Seta-san."

Naoto fiddled with the brim of her police cap before commenting, a thoughtful look on her face,

"It is possible… after all, if both Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi died at exactly the same place… both places would have required a police badge. If someone wanted to see Mayumi Yamano, they'd need to show a badge. To get into the interrogation office, they'd need to show a badge. Good thinking, Adachi-san. However, police badges and uniforms are easily stolen or forged. Not to mention we don't know for sure if they died the exact same way. Your memory is faulty, after all."

Adachi scowled, and that had been such a good theory too. He sighed, and calmly said,

"I guess, in the end, the note doesn't really help us with much."

Naoto smiled, and pulled the cap over her eyes,

"Not exactly. We can send it to the crime lab for processing. This time, we can be sure that the evidence will not be destroyed."

Adachi crossed his arms over his chest, almost like a pouting child. Naoto continued,

"We can't do that, however. The only time you're allowed in the crime lab is when you're working on a case. And unfortunately, I'm not on a case, and Adachi-san has no reason to be there, seeing as no new evidence has appeared on the Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi case. It would be considered suspicious behavior."

Rise let out an irritated breath, and toyed with her red pigtails. She looked extremely irritated. Teddie reflected her expression, but was pouting. Adachi nodded, and said,

"This is true. I guess we've got our hands tied, huh?"

"Indeed." She replied.

Souji sighed, and whispered,

"So… we can do nothing about it, then? The note."

Naoto shook her head, and looked extremely worn,

"No… we can't."

~Vindicated~

A hand grabs the shoulder of someone.

A tall, menacing figure whispers words of comfort, of praise.

He tells the shorter figure that not everything is lost. That vengeance is a dish best served bitter.

The shorter figure agrees to join the taller figure's growing cult.

As but a spy.

~Vindicated~

Adachi felt stiff and heavy as he walked away from the Junes Food Court. This was a case they'd thought solved, and to be going through everything again just like last year… it was strange, surreal. At one point, Adachi was almost positive he'd wake up and be back in his prison cell, in reality. But here he was. Going through a case he thought he had committed.

Adachi felt hunger gnaw at his stomach again, so he made a beeline straight for Aiya's. The famed 'Meat Dimension' was always served on rainy days, and it had begun to drizzle, so Adachi felt the need to take advantage of the situation.

After all, he was one of three people who'd conquered the great task that was finishing the 'Meat Dimension'. (The first, was Chie Satonaka. The second, was Souji Seta, and the third was Tohru Adachi.) Best of all, the Aiya owner gave Adachi a special discount due to the many plates of Meat Dimension he could eat. Adachi recalled seven being his current high score.

The way his stomach felt, Adachi wondered if he would be able to break that record.

Pushing open the door to Aiya's, Adachi took a seat behind the counter and breathed in the sweet smell of curry, meat and spices. Unconsciously, his mouth watered. Delicious. Again, his stomach grumbled and he quickly ordered a 'Meat Dimension'. His hunger would soon be quelled, definitely.

Looking around, Adachi noticed that no one besides him was in the restaurant. Which was strange, really. Usually, Aiya's was packed with hungry customers at this hour. Adachi shrugged it off. Inaba itself was an anomaly and there was no point thinking it was strange to see any sub-anomalies.

That was when Souji Seta walked in, and Adachi froze all together. The silver-haired teenager looked around, until he saw Adachi and nodded. Adachi nodded back, blinking dumbly. Did Souji follow him? Souji strode over to sit beside him, and said, as the waiter placed Adachi's plate in front of him,

"I wanted to ask some questions."

Adachi took up his chop sticks, and popped a piece of meat into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then replied,

"Are these questions you just thought of, or questions you didn't want to ask in front of everyone?"

"Both, actually." Souji said flatly. Souji ordered a bowl of ramen as Adachi popped another piece of meat into his mouth. Adachi smiled slightly, and asked,

"Then ask away. I've got all day."

Souji lifted his own chop sticks and twisted the ramen noodles around them, lifting them to his mouth and slurping them. He asked, voice slightly muffled,

"My question the other night. About Magatsu Izanagi and Izanagi-no-Ookami. Have you thought of an answer to that one yet?"

Adachi thought for a moment, taking his time to chew another piece of meat in his mouth. Yes, he did have an answer. But Adachi had no clue whether to tell Souji what Izanami told him or not. In truth, he had no idea what kind of reaction Souji would have to Izanami's supposed reappearance, and if it was bad, Adachi would have no way of knowing if Souji would hold the dream against Adachi.

Adachi had had dreams of Izanami before, when she was a whisper at the edge of his hearing. She told him things, things that weren't good. And Adachi had no idea what she was in Souji's dreams and daily life. Was she a monster? A helper? A Shadow?

"No." Adachi said finally, swallowing the piece of meat. "I don't have an answer to that yet. But, as I said, we'll probably find out soon anyway." The lie came easy and undeterred. Souji fell for it, because he nodded stiffly. Souji now asked, slurping his ramen noodles,

"I've been thinking. Do you remember anything about the murders? Anything at all?"

Adachi put his chop sticks to the side, and thought back, very hard. He remembered seeing a woman being pushed into a TV… a young girl falling to the same fate… a young, ugly man also becoming a victim… and a tall man. A tall man that pressed his fingers to his lips in a 'shhh' sign. As if he were trying to tell Adachi to be quiet. Adachi replied, pinching the bridge of his nose,

"Vague details. I remember… watching Yamano being pushed into the TV. And… Konishi screaming… and Mitsuo… falling. And a tall man. Just… tall, like a silhouette."

Souji cocked an eyebrow at this, and sounded curious as he said,

"A tall man?"

"Yeah. I only remember him like he's a silhouette though… There's no real details besides the fact he's tall."

Souji spurned the bowl of ramen with his chop sticks, watching the broth swirl around and around. He frowned, and then asked Adachi calmly,

"What about when we confronted you? Do you remember Magatsu Inaba?"

Adachi nodded, and picked up his chop sticks again. He replied,

"I remember that perfectly. I remember seeing you guys come in to that… room. And turning around and moving and everything… but the words and details are hazy. I honestly can't even remember what I said. Until after you guys defeated Ameno-Sagiri. I remember confessing, and telling you guys to just kill me."

Souji smiled,

"I'm glad we didn't." He pressed the bowl to his lips and drank the broth. Finishing the ramen, Souji got up from his seat and placed a few yen on the check. He turned to Adachi, and said, very mysteriously,

"If we had, we would've made a great mistake. Thanks for your time, Adachi-san."

And with that, Souji left Adachi to his dinner.

~Vindicated~

Souji approached the hospital in earnest. He needed to visit Nanako, and wish her a quick recovery. (It would no doubt be quick, since she had only been in there for a day, and the fog in Inaba had disappeared.)

Nodding to the hospital staff, Souji quickly made his way to Nanako-chan's wing. In his mind, he was going over what Adachi had told him. What Adachi told him hadn't helped much, but he gained one thing from it…

The culprit was tall. The culprit was feeling cornered. The culprit did something to Adachi's memories.

In truth, it meant _something _happened. Something that could very possibly be paranormal. It was just the matter of finding out how the hell to prove that fact that was plaguing Souji's mind. He sighed and stopped when he came to Nanako's hospital door. He opened it…

And saw Yosuke Hanamura sitting right next to Nanako, watching Souji with a very bitter expression.

"Hey, _partner."_

~Vindicated~

**And done! :D**

**As I said, regular updates will continue, and I'll be getting my computer back! So… NO MORE WORDPAD EVER AGAIN!!!! :D**

**Feedback is appreciated!**


	11. A Quarrel Between Friends

**The first half of this chapter was so hard to write! D: D:**

Vindicated

Chapter 11: A Quarrel Between Friends

_And I'm talking to myself at night…_

_Because I can't forget…_

The bitterness in Yosuke's expression was only matched by the coldness in Souji's. Yosuke had no smile, and the headphones he almost always wore around his neck were absent. The machines in the hospital let out a continuous beep, matching in rhythm with the rise and fall of Nanako's chest. She looked peaceful, unaware of the amount of tension in the room.

"Hanamura." Souji said, evenly. His eyes narrowed, almost in indignant anger. Yosuke reflected the expression, a sneer curling on his lips. Yosuke flicked his thumb behind him, and said,

"I kicked the guard out. I thought we could confirm something. As _friends." _He emphasized the last word, coating it in bitter sarcasm. Souji crossed his arms across his chest, wondering how this could've happened, how he and Yosuke's friendship could run into so stupid a hurdle as this. Souji retorted, annoyed and disgusted with his best friend's behavior,

"Here? Or outside? Maybe by the riverbed? I'd rather not _punch _you while Nanako is sleeping."

"I'm not asking for a fricking rematch, Seta." Yosuke sneered, gripping his knees with his hand. "But yeah, we can scream and hit each other outside the room. That way, when I break your nose, you don't have to walk all the way to the hospital. You can just stagger down the hall."

Souji smiled, a mocking, vindictive smile and opened the door. He held one hand, so that he made a mock bow. He commented sarcastically,

"Ladies first."

Yosuke twisted his face in a small sneer, but obliged, walking through the door purposefully, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked angry, pissed even, and Souji knew the very reason Yosuke had wanted to speak to him about. Adachi. And how Adachi was going to help in their Investigation. Yosuke himself wouldn't admit it, but he still had never gotten over Konishi's death. Yosuke hated Adachi, but the other seven Investigation Team members needed Adachi, and wanted to apologize. Souji maybe, most of all.

In the hall, Yosuke and Souji faced each other, neither one backing down or apologizing for their behavior. Gray eyes met reddish-brown, scowl reflected scowl and arms were crossed on both sides. Vaguely, when you looked at the two, it was like polar opposites staring at each other in the mirror.

Souji asked, letting out an annoyed huff of breath,

"Yosuke, what's wrong with you? We need Adachi's information. We need his power. But you seem to have a hard time-"

Yosuke cut Souji off, hissing his answer through clenched teeth,

"He killed Saki-senpai, Seta! " Fists clenched at his sides as well. "He's a fricking murderer! I can't believe you'd even…"

Yosuke tossed his head to one side, glaring at the floor. Souji narrowed his eyes, looking at his friend as if Yosuke were a piece of gum on the ground. Souji hissed back, saying something that made Yosuke's eyes turn icy,

"Get over Konishi, Yosuke. You said you were over her a long time ago, and it's time to move on."

"No." Yosuke's eyes were icy, cold and raw. "It's _time_ you saw the truth. Adachi was in the TV, we _saw_ him! He confessed, dammit!"

Yosuke shut his eyes, and with a stab of guilt, Souji realized that tears hung on the edges of his eyes, struggling to escape and carve a diamond-like path down Yosuke's cheeks. Souji frowned, looking at his friend with sad, confused eyes. Souji watched a tear escaped after a few moments, and trickle down Yosuke's face, dripping off the edge of his chin.

Coloring slightly, Yosuke wiped his sleeve across his eyes, opened them, and stared at Souji with the iciest expression he could manage. Yosuke was trembling now, his eyes glazing with unshed tears. Souji stared back, uncrossing his arms.

Yosuke lifted his arms, as if he were going to ask for a hug, and Souji reflected the position, smiling.

But he wasn't prepared for what happened next. Yosuke darted forward, tackled Souji and dragged his friend to the ground. A smack whipped across Souji's face, and Souji twisted around, kicking his legs as Yosuke threw punch after punch after punch at him. Souji freed his leg, and brought a kick to Yosuke's neck.

Yosuke flew to the side, tumbling into a steel bench with a loud clang. He trembled slightly, and Souji stood up, breathing heavily, his gray eyes wide with shock. Yosuke just knelt there on all fours, gasping for breath. A red mark, shaped like a bean, blossomed against the skin on his neck, preparing to become a bruise.

Yosuke lifted his head, looking at Souji through loose strands of orange hair. Tears ran down his cheeks and Souji began to feel sorry, truly sorry, for his friend. Yosuke said, in between gasping breaths,

"God… damn it Souji… so… damn… perfect… not fair… NOT FAIR!" He screamed the last word, choking on a sob.

Souji stood there, looking at Yosuke through one black eye and one normal eye. He frowned, turned on his heel, and left. As he walked down the hall of the hospital, he said, loudly over his shoulder,

"Yosuke… we need you. _I _need you. Come back and investigate with us."

Souji looked one straight ahead, and could merely sense the surprised expression on Yosuke's face.

~Vindicated~

Rain, angel-light and wet, spattered across Adachi's face as he left Aiya's. His umbrella, once more, was absent from his side. But Adachi didn't care. In fact, he went through the sudden storm as if it were a sunny, clear day. Adachi's mind was reeling, and everything around him didn't seem to matter.

He couldn't remember a single thing about the murders. It was as if someone had placed a great big hole in his memory. Whenever he tried to remember, tried to discern the sensations of murder, he drew a great big blank. Save the almost vision-like details that ran listlessly through his mind…

_TV… Short-hair… student… fish-eyes… tall man. Black. Red. Evil words. Possession._

Running a hand through his soaked hair, Adachi felt the beginnings of a migraine reach the front of his head. He wouldn't do any good just thinking about the details. He needed to understand them, and see past the obvious details. Perhaps even, with Izanami's help. If Izanami helped him at all.

_Mankind's desires are my desires… _She had said.

_Other Demons from the Gates… _

_Receiving your vindication…_

Adachi closed his eyes, stuck his hands in the pockets of his black jacket and sighed. He smiled as his fingertips grazed the corner of a card and he pulled out his Persona. Bishamon, in his checkered glory, stared back at Adachi through yellow eyes. A spiked mace was crossed across his heart.

Rain dropped on the card, running across the streaked blue like a river of diamonds. Quickly, Adachi pocketed the card and looked up. His smile faded.

A tall man in an overcoat was at the end of the Shopping District street. His overcoat was beige, and wrapped tightly around his heavyset body. He looked almost like a giant brown pillow, actually. Adachi swore that this man must've been trying to live the definition of suspicious, because the tall man even wore an equally brown fedora, which shadowed his eyes.

The man in the overcoat was staring at Adachi. Although Adachi couldn't see his eyes, he could feel his gaze, and something cold and chilly ran down his spine. The rain beat down around him, soaking Adachi's clothes and chilling his bones. He wanted to continue, to retreat into the warmth of his apartment, but the sight of the tall, suspicious man made Adachi freeze.

The tall man made a gesture, as if trying to say shhh…, then walked in the direction away from Adachi.

Hurriedly, and with wide eyes, Adachi retreated to his apartment.

~Vindicated~

Souji looked skyward when a drop of rain trickled across his cheek. Dark clouds, swirling and gray, covered the entire sky. Souji swore that only moments ago that the sky was a clear, crystal blue. But now, the sky seemed to be reflecting his thoughts. His gloomy, angry thoughts.

Souji groped blindly for his umbrella and sighed when he realized that it was absent. So he began running, ignoring the pain all across his body from where Yosuke had punched him and focusing everything on his thoughts.

Yosuke had hit his best friend. And, following Souji's own personal rule, he had struck back and hurt Yosuke as well. _An eye for an eye,_ Souji reminded himself, _And a tooth for a tooth._

But, it was jarring to find out the Yosuke wasn't over Saki. And that Yosuke didn't want to believe that Adachi _may _have not killed the first two victims. It was beyond dismaying. After all, Yosuke hit Souji in a fit of rage, sorrow and frustration. And Souji had struck back in sheer panic at finding out that he wasn't even safe from his _friends._

But Souji had meant what he said when he left. They, The Investigation Team, needed Yosuke. Sure, they had Adachi, but he was hardly any real help since he couldn't remember anything. (Well, there were details that Adachi could remember, but there was no name and face.) Yosuke was skilled at deduction, as was Naoto. And when they needed Yosuke most, he abandoned them for some dead girl.

He would come back though, Souji was sure of it. They needed him, and Yosuke didn't seem the type to abandon his friends. Ever. Yes, he would come back.

Souji shivered as his clothes became sodden, sticking to his skin like… well, skin. Only a few more blocks, and he knew he would be home. Souji bit his lip when he realized that Dojima might have a word or two to say about his bruises. Hopefully, he would be sleeping drunkenly on the couch like he was when Nanako was rescued.

But, knowing Souji's streak of bad luck today, he had a strong feeling that that wouldn't be the case.

Spotting the little house a few feet away, Souji smiled as the idea of being warm and cozy came to him. He tumbled a bit, before running to the house and sliding open the door. He smiled again. Warm, and cozy.

To his luck, Dojima was sprawled across the couch, an empty bottle of sake on the floor below his dangling fingers. He had fallen asleep, drunk again. Souji twitched his nose, choking almost on the wave of stinky alcohol that filled the air like a noxious cloud. He kicked off his shoes, and gave Dojima a dirty look. Having Nanako return to a messy, sake-filled house, like this was almost disgusting.

Souji walked over to the kitchen sink and began to wash the dishes of yesterday's dinner. His parents, always on the go, had taught him how to fend for himself a long time ago. Something as simple as washing dishes was no problem.

He moved the soapy, soaked sponge around and around in circles on a dirty plate. Behind him, Dojima snored a little, then quieted. It was strange, the noiseless and quiet that emptied the Dojima household of happiness. There was no annoying Junes jingle, no little girl asking Souji questions, no Dojima and Adachi quarreling.

Yes, it was devoid of noise.

Save the sound of running water from the faucet, the sound of plates clicking together every now and then, a quiet snore and the sound of the clock as it ticked closer and closer to midnight.

Wait…

Midnight!

Souji dropped one of the plates as the TV in the corner of the Dojima household began to turn on. The image was filled with static, save a tall, dark figure that stood in the middle of the screen.

The dark figure raised a finger to his lips…

As if to tell Souji to 'shh…'

And then, the dark, tall figure disappeared. And the TV became black once more.

The plate that had fallen to the ground cracked into several blue, sharp shards that scattered across the kitchen floor, but Souji was too frozen in place to do anything about it.

Deep down, something black curled around Souji's heart. He knew, knew indefinitely, that the person on the screen was the killer… and Nanako's kidnapper.

_Tall man. This has to be who Adachi-san was talking about!_

~Vindicated~

**Short chapter! D: I'm sorry! Next chapter will be longer!**

**Now… who's the tall man? Will you find out? Stay tuned for the twelfth chapter!**


	12. The Faint

**I apologize if this took a long while. Lately, I've been snagged in the enthralling world of Shin Megami Tensei Online. (Obsession knows no bounds. LOL.) And I also decided this chapter was sucky and rewrote it.**

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

Vindicated

Chapter 12: The Faint

_There are no longer seven colors…_

_Only mist and fog…_

_April 16 2012_

"_First King Moron and now Kashiwagi… who do you think'll be next?"_

"_Hey! Takashi-kun! Weren't you in Kashiwagi's class last year?"_

"_Guys! Did you hear about the 'Curse of Class 2-2?!'"_

Chie shot the students around her a dark glare. Really, the only thing that ever seemed to be on any of these student's minds were gossip, the latest fashion and the supposed love triangles that were forming around the school. Now, above all of those trivial subjects, the latest thing for the students of Yasogami High to talk about was the 'Curse of Class 2-2' or the deaths of Ebihara and Kashiwagi.

Chie pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. Did these students really have nothing better to talk about?

Next to her, Souji stared listlessly at the rain-spattered window, a scowl on his lips. He looked pensive, thoughtful as he stared out the window. It was almost as if he were thinking about something extremely important and personal. Chie wondered what he could possibly be thinking about. Then, it hit her like a speeding bullet train,

"_Nanako-chan! He's worried about her I bet."_

She bit her lip. Should she say something? Something encouraging or thoughtful or nice? She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. She said, taking the time to choose her thoughts and words carefully,

"Hey… Souji, Nanako-chan's going to be okay, 'kay?"

Souji turned to look at her, and Chie's breath caught in her throat. He was a complete mess. He had two black eyes, a cut on his cheek (Which was bandaged with a childish-looking bandage) and he was paler than usual. She gasped, shuddered and proclaimed,

"Souji! What… what happened to you!? Oh my God… Are you… are you Okay?!"

He groaned, and lightly touched his face. He was frowning, and Chie wondered if he was biting back a mean or witty retort. He replied, sounding very on edge,

"I'm fine, Chie-chan. Really. And I'm thinking about Yosuke, not Nanako-chan."

In response, Chie blinked. Yosuke? What would Yosuke have to do with… Chie gritted her teeth. Yosuke! He did this to Souji! She sneered, thinking of the things she would do to Yosuke when she saw him next,

"Souji did… did Yosuke do this!? If he did I swear… I'll… I'll…"

Souji looked surprised, but he simply smiled and said,

"It's okay, Chie. If it's any consolation, I did a number on him too."

Chie was calmed, but she was still seething. Stupid Yosuke. Hitting people. Hitting _friends._ She gritted her teeth again, and twitched her nose. _Fail_suke. _Fail_suke, _Fail_suke, _Fail_suke.

"Chie," Souji's voice pulled her from her black thoughts. "Yosuke doesn't want to work with us while Adachi-san's working with us."

Chie blinked. Souji sighed, flattened his fringe and continued,

"He's not over Konishi-senpai, and he doesn't believe Adachi-san's not the killer. He's being extremely insufferable and stubborn."

"What do you expect?" Chie asked, frowning. She felt a stab of pain in her heart for Yosuke. "He loved Saki-senpai, really loved her. He's… uh, clinging to our proven suspect. Remember when we almost threw Namatame into the TV? He was hellbent on throwing Namatame in there, and he even brought up Saki-senpai's death."

Souji nodded. He looked worn, sad almost. And Chie felt another stab of pain for him. She remembered, vividly, what it was like to not have Yukiko around. It was a dark time, where Chie felt she needed Yukiko more than anything. Without someone to talk to, Chie felt alone, forlorn.

Yosuke was Souji's best friend, and Souji needed Yosuke as well.

So it didn't surprise Chie when Souji said, gloomily,

"I told Yosuke that we needed him. That _I _needed him."

He closed his eyes, and continued,

"Should I have said that?"

Chie's lips parted slightly. To see Souji asking her for advice… it was strange, surreal. And for a split-second, Chie wondered if this was a dream, wondered if she was really, in reality, asleep. But… Chie answered Souji, in a wise, almost un-Chie-like manner,

"Yes. You should have."

Souji watched her, with soft, unyielding eyes. She added, quickly, carefully,

"You're friends, best friends. And you need each other."

~Vindicated~

Adachi pulled his simple, white, long-sleeved shirt over his head. His hair was still unkempt, and when Adachi looked in the mirror in his hallway, he decided it was fine like that. Chief Arakaki could yell and scream all he wanted about. 'Dress regulations and keeping your hair neat and making a good impression on the general public.' Adachi simply just _didn't care._

Picking up his jackets, Adachi contemplated which one he should wear to the PD today. One was a simple black jacket; the other was a blue dress jacket. Standing in his kitchen, Adachi glanced at his calendar.

"_Maybe I should visit Nanako-chan tomorrow."_

Adachi smiled. Yeah, he could bring Nanako a doll or a toy… Maybe he could get Dojima-san to come with him, as well. If the latter wasn't drunk off his ass, of course. Adachi laid the jackets in his hands on the table and picked up a bright red marker on the counter. He wrote, in the small block that said April 17th,

_Visit Nanako-chan in hospital._

He circled it, put the cap back on the scarlet marker and tossed it onto the counter.

~Vindicated~

Yosuke was, as Souji had said, equally beat up. A bean-like bruise ran from the tip of his jaw to his collarbone, and Yosuke had unsuccessfully attempted to hide it with his headphones and pulled his collar up. To Chie, he looked like some 1950's gangster. And yes, he looked very ridiculous.

Yukiko followed Yosuke in through the door, looking worried. Chie guessed that Yosuke told her what had happened, as she was glancing between Yosuke and Souji with a very serious and very worried expression.

Yosuke passed Souji and sat in the desk behind him. Souji didn't even spare him a glare, he just looked on, his shoulders visibly tensing up as Yosuke placed his school bag on his desk loudly.

If anyone else in the bustling classroom noticed the rising tension, they made no note of it, and only continued speaking of the unlucky teacher to get seated with Class 2-2's teaching position. Yukiko and Chie noticed immediately though, and exchanged knowing glances.

"So…" Yukiko coughed lightly, getting Chie's attention. "Chie, do you want to go visit Nanako-chan in the hospital after school?"

Sensing a plan, Chie smiled and replied,

"Sure. Hey… do you guys want to come with us? Yosuke, Souji?"

Souji's eyes flicked to the corners, glancing at Yosuke. Yosuke, looking at Chie incredulously, said, in a miserable voice,

"Sorry. I have to work after school."

Chie knew that was lie._ Knew_ it. No, she could _sense _it.

Souji's shoulders relaxed, and he whispered, so quietly that Chie had to strain her hearing,

"I'm visiting later tonight with Dojima-san. I'm sorry."

Chie frowned. But said, in a fake light-hearted way,

"Oh. That's okay then."

At that moment, the third-year teacher strode in, slammed his ruler across the blackboard and said,

"Awwright! Homework on your desks, please!"

~Vindicated~

The tall man stood just outside the gates of Yasogami High. The School Zone was eerily quiet, and the rain gave Inaba an even more creepy appearance. The tall man tipped the brim of his brown fedora over his eyes, shadowing them so the only features visible were two twinkling orbs. He was barely resisting a smile, as the two twinkling orbs moved back and forth, reading the files in his hands.

They were files his puppet had nicked from the PD, a file his puppet had given him despite the crowd of witnesses, the crowd of students, around them.

_Souji Seta _The words were emblazoned across the page. Accompanied by a picture of the teen himself.

_Age: 17 (Third-year)_

_-Under suspicion in the Kashiwagi and Ebihara case. Current suspect._

_-Relative of Detective Dojima and Nanako Dojima._

_-Brought in suspect Tohru Adachi regarding the Yamano and Konishi murders. Later proven to be a false suspect._

_-Notably spends a lot of time in the Shopping District after school, the site of all four murders._

The tall man smiled and pulled out the other paper from the file.

_Tohru Adachi_

_Age: 20 (19 during Yamano and Konishi murders) (Junior Detective)_

_-Currently a Junior Detective under the wing of Detective Ryotaro Dojima._

_-Second Survivor of the infamous 'Adachi Family Massacre' Case._

_-Used to visit father, Kataki Adachi in Tokyo's Prison. Stopped doing so after unknown circumstances._

_-Formerly prime suspect in Yamano and Konishi case. Proven to be innocent due to conflicting evidence. Currently working on the said case._

The tall man's smile thinned when he noticed a slip of paper, a note, tucked behind Adachi's file. His eyes, hidden in shadow, danced with delight when he read the scrawled writing.

_My wish must be granted. Since I've helped you so much._

_Tohru Adachi and Souji Seta must die._

The tall man chuckled, giggled in delight almost and placed the files within his beige overcoat. He would strike soon, then. And the entire case, both cases, could be shrouded forever in fog and mystery. The tall man looked up when footsteps echoed around him in the rain.

There stood his partner in crime, holding a transparent umbrella above his head, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. His eyes, the color of gold, were laughing. He said, his voice bearing the undertone of maliciousness,

"The file. Your puppet's given it to you, then?"

The tall man nodded, and fingered the police badge in his pocket. He looked at his partner and smiled, replying,

"Of course. I've given the idiot false hope."

His partner laughed, trembling in hilarity,

"You won't grant his wishes? Is that what you're saying?"

The tall man grinned, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. His retort was dark, malign,

"Oh, I will. Except, the first thing he asked, the wish I dangled in front of his eyes, the one that made him join my army, will be granted in a manner he doesn't expect."

The umbrella twirled in the partner's hands, and he giggled,

"Hehehe, you're cold, you know that? He can't leave either. He knows full well what'll happen."

The answer was said in reflected giddiness,

"He should."

~Vindicated~

"Dojima-san's not in today, Adachi-san." Takano said, when he and Adachi met outside the PD at the same time. Takano had a concerned look in his gray eyes, an expression that Adachi reflected. Adachi held his umbrella (He remembered it for once, thanks to the weather report) tightly. His put his other hand in the pockets of his yellow raincoat (He decided to go jacket-less.) and touched the round end of his cell lightly.

"Don't." Adachi looked up, Takano's voice sounded commanding. Takano had a now understanding look in his eyes. "He's probably with Nanako-chan. Don't call him."

Takano pulled his beige jacket tightly around his body and smiled before heading into the PD. Adachi blinked confusedly before pulling out his cell. Screw what Takano said, Adachi was calling Dojima anyway.

Sitting down on the bench right outside the little circular building, Adachi quickly dialed Dojima's cell number, the rain falling all around him. As the phone rang, Adachi looked up at the gray sky, a slightly concerned look in his eyes,

"_There will probably be something on the Midnight Channel tonight."_

Adachi bit his lip, realization hitting him like a speeding car,

"_Shit! I forgot to watch last night!"_

Before Adachi could swear aloud, Dojima picked up the phone on the other line. His voice was slurred, drunk,

"Hell…o?"

Adachi twitched his nose. Of course, what else would Dojima be doing? Getting drunk off his ass. Adachi's voice was short, angry when he replied,

"_Dojima-san,"_ Adachi could've sworn he heard a 'hic' on the other end. "Get your ass down to the station right now. So we can sober you up and you can go see Nanako-chan."

~Vindicated~

_After School_

Like always, the Investigation Team were crowded around a picnic table. This time, they were joined by Yosuke, but Souji had no way of knowing if it was because he was touched by Souji's confession or because Adachi was absent, as the Junior Detective had a job to perform. Honestly, it didn't matter, as they would be fixing the time they came together so Adachi could come to these little meetings as well.

Naoto sighed, crossed her arms, and stated,

"So I'm to assume that out of all of us, only Seta-senpai and I watched the Midnight Channel?"

The other six sighed and nodded, looking extremely guilty. Naoto pinched the bridge of her nose and proclaimed to her Senpai,

"Seta-senpai, could you please explain to everyone else what was on the Midnight Channel last night?"

Souji leaned back in his chair and repeated to everyone what he saw on the Midnight Channel. What Adachi said still resonated in his mind. The description was perfect, and the way the guy on the Midnight Channel moved and gestured… it was so fitting that it was almost hilarious.

"A tall guy…? How is that going to help us?" Rise mumbled, scratching her head. Six others shrugged their shoulders, but Souji didn't. Instead, he proclaimed, smiling,

"It helps us a lot, actually."

The other seven teenagers blinked dumbly at their leader, and Souji's smile widened. He told them,

"After our last meeting, yesterday, I spoke with Adachi about his memories, and what he could and could not remember. He told me that the details he could remember were vague at best, but I asked him to tell me them. He said, 'Vague details. I remember… watching Yamano being pushed into the TV. And… Konishi screaming… and Mitsuo… falling. And a tall man. Just… tall, like a silhouette.'"

Yukiko's eyes widened, and she gasped,

"A tall man! Just like the guy on the Midnight Channel!"

Naoto dipped the brim of her cap over her eyes and muttered, half to herself and half to the group,

"Exactly like the description."

Teddie cocked his head to the side, and asked,

"Does this mean Adachy-baby saw the culprit?"

Yosuke mumbled under his breath, loud enough for Souji to hear, "Yeah, more like he _is _the culprit."

Souji glared at him through and Yosuke unconsciously rubbed the bean-like bruise on his neck. Souji replied to Teddie's question, with a slightly edgy tone,

"Yeah. Most likely."

"Well, it ain't very helpful to know that he can't remember who the hell it is." Kanji added, nodding jerkily. Chie smiled, and said,

"Agreed."

Naoto, who looked very quiet, said extremely quietly,

"We should be on the lookout for anyone suspicious, anyone tall."

Naoto raised her gaze and looked into Souji's eyes. Souji looked into hers. There was something in Naoto's gaze Souji couldn't quite place. It was like a mixture of realization and…

Fear?

~Vindicated~

Adachi left Dojima's house, seething. He smelled like sake and cigarettes, and after attempting to sober Dojima up with black coffee, gave up when Dojima passed out on the kitchen floor. He left Dojima there, and knew the man would no doubt be regretful when he came back to consciousness.

Adachi pinched the bridge of his nose and trekked down the street, umbrella in hand and yellow raincoat billowing out behind him. Thanks to Dojima, he would no doubt have to make up for the day of work he'd skipped out on. Chief Arakaki was infamously known for throwing piles of paperwork on those whom he deemed slackers, and Adachi knew from experience that he himself topped the list of said slackers.

He ran a hand through his hair, almost wanting to rip strands of his hair out in frustration. Usually, his patience and concern for Dojima would've out won his frustration. But not today. Today, Adachi was feeling particularly on edge.

"_Wonder if it has anything to do with the creeper I saw yesterday?"_

Adachi shuddered. Yes, the tall guy who had creepily gave Adachi the 'shh' gesture. Thinking about it, a sudden cold crawled down Adachi's spine like an icy finger. Was the tall guy just a coincidence? After all, he had been thinking about the murders during the very second the tall man had appeared. It was more than odd. And it was more than coincidence.

Even an idiot could see that.

Looking up at the swirling gray sky, Adachi felt something black curl around his heart. It had to be more than coincidence. It had to be.

Adachi felt the beginnings of a migraine reach the front part of his head, and he felt the area around him become blurry. He stood in the middle of the Shopping District, feeling the rain dance across his skin as the umbrella in his hands fell to the ground.

Black tugged at the corners of Adachi's vision, and a voice whispered into his ears. It was soft, delicate, angel-light,

"_Demons of Yomi are coming. Child of Man, bare your courage like a sharp sword!"_

Adachi looked up, and his eyes widened.

There, in the middle of the road…

Lay Souji Seta, pale as death.

~Vindicated~

**Oh how I love these cliffhangers.**

**:D**

**Did you know…?**

**In Persona 4, it almost seems to suggest that Naoto has a fake name? Her Shadow refers to her as 'Naoto' Shirogane, and says the Naoto part as if it's fake.**

**Also…**

**I wanted to suggest this fic, called It's Hell Getting To Heaven, by Death Savior. It's got an interesting plot, an interesting OC, and an even more interesting group of authors. You readers and reviewers would be doing me an awesome honor if you read and review! (I get to beta-read the awesomeness!)**

**Me and Death Savior would be superbly grateful and happy!**


	13. He Who Saw And He Who Found

**This chapter contains so much fluff it's not even funny. xD Adachi/Souji fluff. And I unintentionally wrote that into this chapter. Lol.**

**Anyway, SOUJI ISN'T DEAD! xD If I did that, there wouldn't be much of a story here. Would there? xD**

Vindicated

Chapter 13: He Who Saw And He Who Found

_Surely reality is here…_

_It's no use to turn back yesterday…_

Adachi sprinted towards Souji's body, leaving his umbrella behind on the asphalt ground, his yellow raincoat billowing out behind him like a great yellow cape. He leaned beside Souji's body, Adachi's black eyes widening as he realized how pale Souji really was.

Hesitantly, carefully, Adachi let his fingers brush against Souji's neck. He was looking for a pulse, for a sign that Souji was not, as Adachi feared, dead. He felt a knot tie in his throat, and he shuddered when he felt how cold, how unreal Souji's skin was. It was frightening. No. It was _beyond _frightening.

Something in Souji's neck jumped, and Adachi took a deep, resigned breath. Souji was alive, and Adachi attempted to thank every Japanese god he could remember over and over in his head. Adachi looked past Souji's body one way. No one was there.

He looked the other way…

And every muscle in Adachi's body tensed. There, at the end of the Shopping District, standing just next to Konishi Liquors, was a tall man in a tightly bound beige overcoat. Adachi's face paled, as he realized just who exactly was responsible for Souji's current state…

None other than the killer, the kidnapper, himself.

The man in the beige overcoat was leaning against a telephone pole, watching Adachi and Souji from a distance. He raised two fingers to his lips, turned on his heel and stalked away. Adachi leapt up to chase him, but stopped, and looked back at Souji's body.

He couldn't leave Souji here to follow a known killer to god-knows-where.

Adachi's eyes narrowed, and he looked back. The killer had disappeared, gone. And the Shopping District was left in an eerie storm, and an eerie silence, in that wake. The rain soaking both him and Souji, Adachi picked Souji up off the ground and, his face coloring in embarrassment, promptly gave the unconscious teen a piggy-back ride.

"_Well," _Adachi thought, feeling Souji's arms slinging around his neck. _"This is really freaking embarrassing."_

Souji was surprisingly light, as most teenagers were as Adachi carried him on his back. In truth, Adachi had expected him to be a lot heavier. Adachi had heard about his odd eating habits from Dojima (including the not-so-mysterious disappearance of Nanako's science project) and he had expected Souji to weigh much more.

Well, it didn't really matter anyway, and Adachi was grateful for the light burden. Especially as he lugged Souji towards his apartment. (There wasn't any other place to go…)

"_Heh," _A smile, one of slight sadness, tugged at the corners of Adachi's mouth. _"High schoolers are thinner, y'know. Lighter."_

As Adachi carefully made sure that Souji didn't fall, he let his mind wander back to the tall man. What had he been doing there? Was it a coincidence that the tall man happened to be there, watching Souji slip into unconsciousness? And, more importantly, who in the world was he? Adachi felt something cold run down his spine as Souji twitched on his back.

Another question began knocking at Adachi's mind. The strange feeling he had gotten… only moments before discovering Souji in the middle of the Shopping District… only moments before hearing Izanami's warning… was that pure coincidence as well? Or was it something else… something that couldn't be explained through deduction and science? Adachi narrowed his eyes in irritation. The truth, the logical answer to the case, had proven to once again be elusive.

And once again, someone Adachi knew, had paid the price for everyone's, himself included, ignorance. They should've seen this coming, should've acted on the idea that people close to Souji were being targeted. After all, Souji himself had been interrogated, as a false suspect, thanks to the Inaba Police making the connection between the murder victims and Souji.

Then, Nanako was kidnapped. Even an idiot would've been able to make the connection there. Was it true, or was it not? Was the killer targeting Souji's friends, family, acquaintances… Souji himself?

Another shiver crawled down Adachi's spine. Were they in danger? Were the people who had developed friendships, bonds, understandings with Souji in the most danger? Were the people who would take a mortal blow, die for, Souji going to suffer? A sudden sense of paranoia gripped Adachi, and his eyes flicked from side to side, watching the dark, drenched alleys with a mistrustful gaze.

He didn't want to die. But he didn't want to live, either. It was a purgatory of life and death that Adachi hung suspended in between. He knew, that if it came down to it, he would give up his life, sacrifice himself, for the truth. If he died, helping Souji and the others, he wanted to do so, knowing that there was a sunbeam through the fog. Knowing… that perhaps he truly, really didn't kill Saki Konishi and Mayumi Yamano after all.

At the moment, the only thing he could do was protect the brats he had hated for so long, especially their leader, and unravel the web of lies that had enveloped Inaba in fog.

Would he survive? Would he die? Would the truth set him free?

Adachi had no way of knowing. What he did know was this…

The killer had to be someone who knew Souji better than Souji knew himself. Someone who knew Souji's schedule, who knew where Souji would be and at what time, who knew the ins and outs of Souji's social circle.

Someone that was unsurprisingly holding a grudge against the Investigation Team and Adachi himself.

Adachi shifted Souji on his back awkwardly, feeling the teen's chin dig into the center of his head. Souji's head lolled to the side, and drool pooled from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto Adachi's shoulder. His eyebrow twitching in slight disgust, Adachi felt extremely grateful that he was wearing his yellow raincoat. He shifted Souji's weight again, and the teen's head lolled to the other side.

The young detective let Souji's leg dangle as he looked for his keys in the pocket of his raincoat. His shoulder bumped against Souji's nose, and the teen gurgled slightly, much to Adachi's bemusement. Pulling out the little leather keychain that was connected to his keys, he stuck the silver key into the keyhole of his apartment door. Opening the door, Adachi had to shift Souji's weight again so he could fit both him and the teen through the door.

It would do no good to have Souji waking up thanks to a concussion.

Closing the door behind him with his leg, Adachi placed Souji onto the couch and went back to the front door to kick of his shoes.

What he saw, when he turned around though, was definitely someone he didn't expect to see.

"Good afternoon, Child of Man." Izanami stated, looking at Adachi through scarlet, unreadable eyes.

~Vindicated~

"Dammit!" That single word, echoed throughout Inaba as if the town were settled in a cave. Crows scattered and flew off into the rainy, stormy sky and a fist smacked against the wall of an alley. The man in the beige overcoat had a feral, angry expression on his face. A second man, standing near the end of the alley, holding a transparent umbrella, didn't look fazed or disturbed at all by the first's outburst.

In fact, the second man was smiling, his golden eyes dancing in delight. The second man spoke, his voice as soft and smooth as a flowing river,

"You failed, didn't you? Hehehe…"

"Shut up." The first man looked at the second, and the second man's coy smile faltered and the light in his golden eyes dimmed. He looked scared almost, frightened, but he regained his composure quickly. The second man's smile thinned, and he nodded stiffly, watching the tall man through narrowed eyes.

"I let myself be seen by both of them. I almost killed Seta. But then that damn, pretentious detective had to find him. Ugh, dumbass, dumbass, dumbass." The tall man shook his head, admonishing himself.

The second man's eyes widened, and the gold in his eyes lit up. He commented, smirking,

"I could take care of him for you… After all I'm-"

"No. You and my puppet are my trump cards. Do not act. Do not show yourself. Seta and Adachi will be taken care of. Just not as soon as we've planned."

The second man snorted, in a mocking sort of way, "We've? More like you've planned. Honestly, me and that puppet are smarter than you give us credit for."

The first man chuckled, tipping the brim of his brown fedora over his eyes. He replied,

"It doesn't matter. Do not move, until I give the order."

Sighing in defeat, the second man agreed,

"Very well. Just don't expect me to like it at all."

"I know." The answer was simple. "And I don't care, either."

~Vindicated~

"I…Izanami." Adachi was frozen in place, Izanami's name coming from his lips distantly, in a wondering, curious way. Why was she here? In front of him, in the human world? Was she not a goddess, was she not simply in Adachi's dreams? It was strange, odd, and surreal.

Izanami smiled, in that strange, mysterious and alluring way, and stepped into Adachi's home. Her scarlet eyes scanned the sparse surroundings, the bare paraphernalia, and Adachi felt a sudden desire to bring out his cleaning supplies and clean up the garbage and junk that was scattered around his apartment. The pure white robe she always wore stretched out behind her, dragging on the wood tile floor.

"It seems my warning scared the man away. The Child lives, I see." Izanami frowned, as if she were contemplating something important, complex. Her gray hair looked kinky, tossed around, as if Izanami hadn't bothered to brush it. Izanami turned, facing Adachi. And Adachi noticed bags that hung below her eyes.

"Child of Man, the man you saw today… is the killer."

"If you know who it is," Adachi crossed his arms, regarding the ancient goddess with a coy look. "You should tell me."

The smile Izanami returned was playful, affectionate. But her reply was decidedly dark,

"There is no fun in that. I do enjoy watching humans attempt to gain the knowledge and truth of the gods, as you well know."

Adachi opened his mouth, but then closed it. The memories of Magatsu Inaba flooded back to him, washing over his senses like a grand tidal wave. He recalled how the Investigation Team accused him of playing a game, of toying with human lives. He opened his mouth again, and unconsciously retorted,

"So this is just a game to you?"

Izanami's feral, playful smile didn't falter one bit. She turned, looking at Souji with sad eyes. She walked over to him, brushing her fingers against his cheek, feeling how cold, pale and wan his skin was. She whispered, in a barely audible voice,

"This human was able to string together the truth of my existence by himself. Was able to see through my disguise. Was able to _defeat _me. I find it almost… cruel, to have this child go through so much to simply find the truth, yet tell you the answers. In a sense, it's playing an unfair game with the lives of humans."

Adachi's eyes narrowed, and he retorted,

"So, you're expecting me to solve a puzzle, the puzzle of 'Did I kill them or did I not', when my own memory… sucks?"

Izanami chuckled, looking at Souji with the same fondness a mother does to a child,

"If I remember correctly, you attempted to regain control during Magatsu Inaba. Attempted to access the memories that were blocked."

"Regain control?" Adachi's tone was purely quizzical, and the arms he had crossed over his chest went to his sides.

Izanami nodded, and whispered again,

"Ameno-sagiri. God of fog. Of illusion."

"Funny," Adachi's tone now took on a more malicious aura. "I thought that was you."

Izanami chuckled again, and now turned to face Adachi, her scarlet eyes dancing in delight. She said, in a delicate, short tone,

"In a way, Ameno-sagiri was my avatar. In a way, I am Ameno-sagiri and Ameno-sagiri is I."

"So. You're two people then?"

The smile on Izanami's face is coy, playful… affectionate,

"Perhaps, perhaps not." She answered, the cat-like grin never faltering, never fading from her face.

The world runs into sepia. And Adachi has no idea what the hell is going on until words appear before his eyes.

_Thou art I… I art thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_The World Arcana._

Adachi felt a whisper, the whisper of an aged old man that seemed hauntingly familiar to Adachi, reach his ears.

"_The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart. And the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop." _Igor's voice ran through Adachi's ears. Recounting the words he'd said a few days ago.

The color returns to the world, and before Adachi realizes it…

Izanami has disappeared once more. Her voice though, cut through the air like the sound of tolling bells,

"I know the answer, but you must find the answer on your own. Find the truth about your memories, about the true culprit, and receive your vindication."

Adachi runs a hand through his hair, and heads toward the refrigerator. Pulling out an unopened can of TaP, Adachi sits on the edge of the couch, sipping at the rusty-tasting pop, awaiting Souji's awakening.

Souji would no doubt have questions for Adachi when he woke up.

~Vindicated~

Rise Kujikawa gave her calendar a dark, haunted look.

"_I need to visit Nanako-chan tomorrow."_

Picking up a marker off the counter, Rise circled the 17th on her calendar, and frowned.

"_Why do I have a bad feeling about this? It's… really weird."_

~Vindicated~

Souji's eyes flitted underneath their eyelids, and Adachi placed the half-empty can of TaP in front of him on the coffee table. He sighed, and said,

"So, the sleeping prince finally awakens."

Souji groaned, and his eyes opened to half-mast. Almost immediately, panic flooded his gray eyes, and he jolted up, looking around until his gaze landed on Adachi. The panic dimmed… but only a little. The slightest hint of distrust hung in Souji's eyes, as if he didn't exactly trust Adachi when they were alone.

Then again, Adachi wouldn't quite trust himself either. Not after what Izanami said about his lost memories. However, he pulled his doubtful thoughts to the back of his mind, grinned crookedly and explained,

"You were, um… passed out in the middle of the Shopping District, and I found you, Seta-san."

"Yeah," Souji's voice was distant, and he concentrated on the window as the rain peppered it. "I know."

There was something in Souji's gaze that looked complex, lost, as if he were trying to piece together the gigantic puzzle the murder case had become. Some pieces seemed to have been lost however, as he ran his hand through his silver hair in a defeated way. Adachi commented, a shudder of fear crawling down his spine,

"There was a tall man in the Shopping District when I found you."

This seemed to set off a light bulb in Souji's mind, because he paled considerably, and his eyes widened in something akin to revelation and shock. He whispered, in a tone that wasn't quite there,

"That's the guy I saw… And when I saw him, I passed out…" He licked his lips, looking slightly unsure when he added, "Adachi-san, I think he's the killer."

Adachi felt a shiver of recognition crawl down his spine when he recalled Izanami's confirmation. Yes, the man in the beige overcoat was the killer, and Souji only reinforced that point. Reminding himself of the lie he told about Magatsu Izanagi and Izanagi-no-Ookami, Adachi kept the fact that he saw Izanami a secret. So, he replied,

"That's along the lines of what I'm thinking, as well."

Souji nodded, and Adachi could see how uncomfortable he felt in Adachi's apartment. Picking up his keys from the coffee table, Adachi said the magic words,

"Here, I'll take you home."

And Souji looked ever-so grateful.

~Vindicated~

_April 17__th__ 2012_

It was dawn when Souji waved goodbye to Adachi, while standing on the welcome mat of the Dojima household. Adachi knew very well he wouldn't be able to sleep, and he remembered the marked date he had made on his calendar back home.

He was going to visit Nanako-chan, instead of returning home. Looking up, Adachi saw a rainbow painting the now clear gray skies. The rain had ended, thankfully. Yes, the fog had settled in, but it wasn't thick, blinding. In fact, Adachi thought it was almost pleasant as he took the long walk to the hospital.

Yet, with all the beauty and pleasantry, Adachi felt anxious, worried. And Adachi was not known to be a worry-wart, in fact, he was quite the opposite.

But there was something, like butterflies in his stomach that he just couldn't shake off.

And that feeling followed him even as he passed the Shopping District, Junes, Tatsumi Shrine. Even as he walked through the many hospital wings, looking for Nanako's room.

Hell, the butterflies still didn't go away even as he opened the door. Stepping inside, he shut it behind him. That was when he realized that someone was staring at him, and when he turned around…

He saw the curious gaze of Rise Kujikawa, whose brown eyes beheld the slightest hint of discomfort and distress.

~Vindicated~

**I swear, this chapter has so many pokes at Souji/Adachi it's not even funny. xD But… Adachi doesn't swing that way, and neither does Souji. xD**

**Ah, the Social Links of doom have finally appeared. I gave Izanami, The World Arcana for obvious reasons. And there are going to be plenty more later on! :D**

**Now, I must go and buy my doujinshi! :D :D**


	14. Whisperings Of The Past

**Finally, Rise and Adachi talking. Oh, how I've waited for the day to write this!**

**Glad the pokes at Souji/Adachi weren't too blinding. xD I felt very odd after writing that.**

Vindicated

Chapter 14: Whisperings Of The Past

_In your brain like a maze…_

_Can never escape the rain!_

Oh, how Adachi hated the way this day was going.

One, he just had to give an unconscious Souji a piggyback ride. Two, He just had to speak with Izanami, who revealed that she thought of humans as nothing but playthings. Three, he just _had _to run into Rise Kujikawa in the hospital.

Yes. Adachi could already feel the beginnings of a shitty day crawl through his weary and tired body.

But, as he stood in front of the sitting Rise; garbed in his yellow raincoat, simple white long-sleeve shirt and rumpled jeans, he didn't throw an apology at her. For some reason, he enjoyed her company, was enthralled with the slightly embarrassed or uncomfortable blush that painted her cheeks. It was odd, but Adachi was both happy and irritated at seeing her. Perhaps it was just the loss of a good night's sleep?

"Oh…" He stuttered, rubbing his thumb along the sleeve of his yellow raincoat. "S-Sorry, I didn't know anyone was… uh, in here."

"Um… it's okay," Rise looked past Adachi at the door, looking almost desperate to escape. "I… I was just about to leave so…"

Rise stood up, and Adachi stepped back as she walked towards him. She was still blushing, as if distressed by Adachi's presence.

Adachi didn't blame her. After all, the teenagers had once thought he'd tried to… rape Yamano and Konishi. If Adachi came across someone like that, he'd want to get away from them as far as possible as well. Rise looked pale as well and she had an almost swaying walk.

That was when she tripped, and Adachi leapt forward to break her fall.

Rise fell forward, her eyes becoming heavy-lidded, and the red in her face growing as she fell. Adachi caught her by the shoulders, holding her upright as she slunk against him. When her forehead brushed against his ear, Adachi realized that she had a fever.

"_Great. She's sick." _He thought sarcastically, helping her down towards the stool she was sitting in only moments ago.

Yes, Rise looked pale. Much too pale. Placing the back of his hand against Rise's forehead, he felt how hot she was, how sickly she was. It must've been the twenty-four hour flu, he had guessed. He scooted her towards the wall, so she could lean against it, but stay sitting all the same.

She also looked more tired than Adachi was, and he wondered if she had been so worried about her friends, about Nanako, that she herself couldn't even get enough sleep.

Adachi glanced at Nanako, who was, as she would be until out of her coma, asleep. Nanako's chest rose and fell in rhythm with the beeping of the hospital machines, in rhythm with the rising and falling of Rise's own chest.

"_I honestly wonder who the real killer could be. To kidnap a little girl… yeesh."_

This was true, the killer left no hints to his identity, and Adachi was almost positive that they would be chasing shadows until the killer/kidnapper screwed up. Which, considering how the TV World worked, wasn't exactly the best choice of action.

"_Damn… who the hell could it be?"_

A tall man wasn't exactly the best profiling when it came to suspects. There were a lot of people in Inaba who were tall. Hell, Adachi himself was one of them! But, unless Adachi had been able to magically escape prison when Ebihara died, he was most certainly not considered a suspect.

"_Seta's tall… but he can't exactly be in two places at once, can he?"_

Adachi tangled long fingers in his hair, sighing. The truth was shrouded in fog, just as Adachi's own mind, memories were. Recalling what Izanami said, Adachi felt a shiver run down his spine,

"_If I remember correctly, you attempted to regain control during Magatsu Inaba. Attempted to access the memories that were blocked." _Izanami had said.

"T-Thanks…Adachi-san…"

Adachi returned his gaze to Rise, who had opened her eyes half-way. In a sense, Rise looked just as pathetic as before she met the Investigation Team. But, this time she wasn't having conflicted thoughts about her 'personalities'. No, this time, she was genuinely worried about her friends, about Nanako. And that seemed to have affected Rise greatly. Adachi felt a tinge of pity for the teen idol, a pity that wasn't evident on his face.

No, he stared at Rise with no emotion whatsoever, and replied monotonously,

"Anytime, Kujikawa-san."

Rise cringed, flinched, and looked down. Was he scaring her? With his emotionless face, toneless voice?

He sure hoped not.

"You should probably… um…" There it was again. That bumbling, fool-hardy tone. "Get home and… rest."

"No… I'm fine." There was a hint of defiance in Rise's reply, as if she were telling Adachi subtly that he wasn't the boss of her. In fact, Adachi cringed inwardly at the tone. And he wondered if Rise didn't like him all that much… but she was looking up at him, as if expecting a reply, and he obliged, stuttering,

"Oh, um… okay then…"

He turned back to Nanako, _feeling _the awkwardness that hung in the air. It was odd, weird really, to speak with Rise. And unlike with Souji, the words didn't come easily from Adachi's mouth. Adachi looked at Nanako, at her slightly pained face and smiled.

"_Maybe it's because Souji has a sort of calm, easy manner? Like a big brother."_

"Hey…" Rise's voice made Adachi look back at her. "Adachi-san… um… can I ask you a question?"

Wondering what the heck Rise could possibly want to know, Adachi replied,

"Um… yeah, sure."

~Vindicated~

The puppet walked towards the two figures. His eyes glinted in the sun of the early dawn, and his eyebrows were furrowed, stitching together in an expression of dismay. A file was tucked underneath his arm, held so tightly that the puppet's fingers were pale, bone-like.

They, the group of three, were crouched inside a dark alley in the Shopping District, void of any attention from passersby. In fact, no one even once glanced down the garbage-filled alley, instead simply passing by it as if it were as insignificant as a tiny insect.

Oh, how very wrong they were.

The tall man looked up, his brown fedora hiding his eyes from the puppet's glazed gaze. Beside him, a second man curled his lips into a nasty smile, his golden eyes dancing with sudden sadistic delight. The puppet flinched at his gaze, and held the file at arm's length, as if afraid to go near the two. The golden-eyed man chuckled as the tall man ripped the folder from the puppet's hands.

"You've brought them?"

The folder looked as pale as the puppet's face in the shadows of the alley. The puppet stuttered, fumbling with the collar of his white jacket,

"Y-Yeah. The addresses… like you asked."

"Good." The tall man said, flipping through the papers in the file. "I am assuming these aren't falsified… because if they are…"

"They aren't." The puppet said this, with a certain confident edge to his voice. The golden-eyed man sneered, his lips curling into a black smile of masochism. The puppet lost his confidence, and whimpered slightly, his shoulders tensing.

~Vindicated~

Rise held her head down, biting her lip. It was strange to see the pop idol speechless, tired for once. Anytime Adachi had seen her with her friends, she had acted like her pop idol self. Airheaded, bubbly, loud. Adachi wondered if this was how she really was. Tired, overexerted… then Adachi reminded himself that Rise wasn't exactly feeling well, and he crossed the thoughts from his mind.

"So…" He sounded particularly curious. "What was it you wanted to ask?"

Rise bit her lip harder, as if contemplating whether or not to ask him. But, after a minute or two, she said,

"Did you… um… really have feelings for Konishi-senpai and Yamano-san?"

A blush painted itself across Adachi's cheeks. This was true, neither Souji nor anyone else had addressed that before. They had simply asked him 'Hey, do you remember the murders?' and that was about it. But Rise was the first to ask, of all people. And Adachi had assumed that it was being alone with her, which prompted Rise to ask something like that.

Thinking about it, Adachi replied,

"Uh… I can't really say… I mean…" The blush deepened. "I guess I didn't murder them, so the feelings might've been from a distance and I didn't… y'know…" Adachi trailed off, not really wanting to answer the question.

But it seemed to calm Rise's mind, because she smiled and said,

"Okay then… it's just I was wondering and since we're alone I was kinda… worried."

"Huh? No… I'd never…" Adachi swore the blush on his face was the color of tomatoes. But he felt something between him and Rise… something like an understanding, a bond…

A _friendship._

Just like with Izanami, the world ran into sepia, and time seemed to be frozen. Words, silver and swirling, hung in the air, spelling out a notice,

_Thou art I… I art thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_The Lovers Arcana._

And once again, Adachi was left wondering what the hell the words meant. But before he could even think about it, Rise asked,

"Adachi-san… what if… you really did murder them? What if this is just some stupid thing again that only _partially _possessed you…?"

Adachi looked at Rise, his black eyes catching her brown, and the words that fell from his lips were the most sincere, truthful words he had ever said in his entire life,

"For my sake, Kujikawa-san, I sure as hell hope not."

Rise nodded, but there was something, maybe in the stiffness of her nod, that told Adachi that Rise didn't trust him at all. And her words left lingering strands of doubt in Adachi's mind. What if he really did kill them? What if this new murderer was just that; a new murderer?

Something flashed in Adachi's vision.

Mayumi Yamano's high pitched scream reached his ears, and Adachi saw her fall backwards into the TV all over again. The man that had thrown her in was standing in front of the TV, tall and shrouded, hugged by shadow. He turned to Adachi, smiled and lifted his fingers in a 'shhing' gesture.

Black tugged at the corners of Adachi's sight, threatening to make him faint just as Souji had.

Adachi's Shadow's voice whispered sweet words of darkness, of console in the real Adachi's ear,

"_That's because you only _saw _them!" _

Adachi wiped at his eyes, feeling Rise's slightly worried gaze crawl across his skin.

"_You can't remember, can you?"_

Something akin to resent curled around Adachi's heart, and he left the hospital room, barely hearing Rise's confused goodbye.

"_But then again, does it really matter?"_

The resent trailed after Adachi like a lonely dog, as he walked through the corridors of the hospital.

"_You said yourself that the world would be so much better if people didn't pretend they didn't see things. It's just as bad… isn't it?"_

Adachi looked up at the gray sky, a confused, yet dark look plastered onto his face.

"_Not being able to do anything at all?"_

"_So weak. So powerless."_

"_So pathetic."_

~Vindicated~

The puppet nodded, receiving his orders with a stiff and tense manner. Turning around, the tall man said to the golden-eyed man,

"We know what we must do. Let us proceed."

~Vindicated~

There was something precise about the way Souji moved purposefully through the Shopping District. The area was, as usual, devoid of many people, yet there were people who could have clearly seen Souji when he fainted in the middle of the Shopping District.

And it was one question, one doubt, that didn't let Souji have any sleep after Adachi took him home.

He wanted to know how the hell no one could see him laying there, in the middle of the street. Was it because it was dark, shadowed? Was it because it was raining?

Looking down at the exact spot Souji had fallen, an area right next to Tatsumi Textiles and the barber shop, Souji felt the shiver of fear run down his spine.

As always, the murder case made no fricking sense.

~Vindicated~

"_You're standing there but I can't touch you-" _

Adachi picked his phone out of his pocket, jumping at the sudden noise of his ringtone as it hung in the air around him. Flipping open the scarlet cell, Adachi said, in a slightly irritated tone,

"Adachi here."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end, coupled by the sound of phones ringing in the background. A voice, whose Adachi recognized to be Takano's, sounded almost harassed as it replied,

"Hello? Adachi-san? It's Takano, um… you haven't heard from Dojima, lately, have you?"

Feeling a stab of fear for his partner, Adachi stuttered,

"Uh… n-no, I haven't."

On the other end of the line, Takano sighed, and shuffled some paper before answering,

"Could you go and pay him a visit? He hasn't come in today and Chief Arakaki is kinda flipping out."

Chuckling a little, Adachi responded,

"Heh, I can imagine that, Takano-san."

In the background, Takano yelled something to someone before shuffling more paper and saying,

"Speaking of which, are you coming in today?"

Thinking a little, and feeling how tired he was, Adachi told Takano his answer,

"Maybe. I've been having some trouble sleeping lately."

"Well, hurry up and get that problem fixed, because we've still got a case to work on."

Smiling darkly and grimly, Adachi retorted,

"Yeah. I know."

He shut the scarlet cell and dropped it in his pocket. He took a left turn through the Shopping District.

It was time to go and pay one Ryotaro Dojima a visit.

~Vindicated~

**I feel pretty icky about this chapter. xD**

**Oh, and anyone who can guess what Adachi's ringtone is gets a cookie.**


	15. Give Chase

**Guess what? Surprise action scene at the end of this chapter! The plot shall pick itself back up again!**

**According to my latest poll…**

**The majority of you want Izanami and Adachi scenes. xD Glad to know I've got my hands full incorporating more of them in here. xD**

**I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. For the first time, I have Adachi act mean, distant, angry and confused all at the same time. I tell ya, having Adachi express his emotions in this chapter was harder than I thought it would be! But it worked out in the end!**

Vindicated

Chapter 15: Give Chase

_But I won't run…_

_Have to stare it in the eye!_

"Dojima-san, you better open this door, or I'm breaking it down…"

Rapping your knuckles hard against the door of someone who didn't want to talk to anyone for ten minutes straight was quite repetitive. Not to mention knowing that someone was deliberately ignoring you was very, very annoying.

And that was why Adachi was scowling as he continued to rap his knuckles against the door of his older, more experienced partner's home. Dojima was acting like a child! A brat! An idiot!

Bringing his fist back so he could pound on the door, Adachi almost tripped as the door flung open and Dojima's shadow cast over him like an angry cloud. In the doorway, Dojima was slunk against the wall, watching Adachi as if Adachi were some sort of trash, garbage.

Adachi glared back at Dojima, meeting his gaze with indignant black eyes. But before Adachi could open his mouth, say anything, Dojima croaked gruffly,

"Adachi, go away."

"Sorry sir," Adachi stepped closer, coming almost nose-to-nose with Dojima. "But we need to talk."

Dojima took a deep breath, and Adachi could smell the sake that tainted the air. His nose wrinkled in distaste, and he glared at Dojima with a look that was akin to loathing. Adachi would never, ever dare disrespect his superiors, his boss, but there was something about Dojima at the moment that pissed Adachi off. Was it because he knew Nanako's condition, and couldn't stand to see Dojima fall back on drinking to solve his worried mindset? Or was it because Adachi was reminded of his own family, seeing Dojima like this?

"Go away. _Please._" Dojima repeated, leaning heavily against the frame of the front door. It was Dojima's gruff voice, the sake in the air, and the memories that washed back that made Adachi push into Dojima with his shoulder, making the older detective back up.

"No. We're going to chat, and that's final."

The surprised look on Dojima's face made something twisted reach Adachi's lips. Adachi sneered, grabbing Dojima's shoulder tightly, leading him towards the couch. If the surprise that lingered in Dojima's walk, face and demeanor were enough to sober him up, then Adachi wouldn't have to waste his time trying to dunk Dojima's head in water.

However, the smell of alcohol still hung in Dojima's mind, because the older detective was swaying as he walked with Adachi towards the couch. Adachi's fingers curled around Dojima's arm tightly, clawing into cloth and skin.

"Adachi, I shai…d…" Dojima hiccupped, "Go _away."_

"Nope. Sorry sir, but I'm here to stay." Adachi replied, shooting his partner a glare. Adachi pushed down on Dojima's shoulder, making him sit on the couch. Adachi towered over Dojima, arms crossed and black eyes gleaming angrily. Dojima met his gaze, a sad and pathetic glint in the older detective's eyes. The meanness in the younger detective's eyes faltered for a moment, and Adachi began to actually feel sorry for Dojima.

But there was none of that sorry feeling in his tone when Adachi said,

"Dojima-san… you shouldn't drink. Not when Nanako-chan's in the hospital…" Adachi bit his tongue, preventing an insult from slipping through his lips. He wanted to yell at Dojima-san greatly, wanted to knock some sense into the older detective. But at the same time, Adachi didn't want to lay too much of a guilt-trip on his partner. If there was one person Adachi truly, really didn't want to break, it was Ryotaro Dojima.

"Adachi… Shaddup."

And there went any shred of remorse or pity for Dojima.

"Y'know what…" Adachi's fists clenched tightly, so tightly that Adachi could feel the scabs from when he faced his Shadow breaking. "You're not a good father."

_Smack!_

Adachi felt his fist come in contact with Dojima's jaw, heard a snapping sound cut through the air around them, and the feeling of regret filled Adachi like food. His eyes widened as Dojima's head snapped to one side, and more words slipped from his lips in a hateful, loathing tone,

"Do you even care about Nanako-chan at all!? She's in the hospital, fighting to _live _and here you are, getting drunk off your ass instead of visiting your only daughter!"

There was something in Dojima's eyes that looked so pitiful, so beautifully surprised, that Adachi could hardly resist saying,

"Are you actually surprised? Surprised I'd hit you around like some stupid _bitch? _C'mon, you should have seen this coming from miles away! Especially after deciding to turn your back on your own daughter!"

"I do care!" Dojima snapped his head, staring Adachi in the eyes. "She's all I have!"

Adachi's eyes locked with Dojima's. Angry black against pitiful gray. Young against old. Adachi asked, his voice dripping with something poisonous, something spiteful, his arms crossed,

"Are you sure about that? Honestly sure? Or are you just saying that to get me off your back?"

Dojima's eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe Adachi had actually said something like that to him. But he had heard the words, seen Adachi's lips move… and watched the anger in Adachi's eyes light like a large fire. And it had unnerved the older detective greatly. So, Dojima said,

"Adachi… what's wrong with you? Why are you so angry?"

This seemed to make Adachi freeze. Why was he so angry? What real reason could he have for loathing Dojima for this? A memory, taut and hated, ran through Adachi's mind and he scowled. Emotion swam across his mind freely, breaking through the bottle Adachi had suppressed them in for so long. He bit his lip, lowering his eyes to the ground, away from Dojima's curious face.

Dojima's eyebrows stitched together. And Adachi could feel the odd gaze Dojima gave him pierce his skin and gaze into his soul. He thanked the gods he didn't believe in that Dojima couldn't read minds. His secrets were ones he'd prefer to keep to himself. Ones, he'd rather carry to the grave rather than announce to his boss.

But, whether there was something in the pensiveness of Adachi's gaze, or Dojima's detective's intuition, Dojima grumbled,

"What have you got to be angry about?"

Adachi tossed his head to the side, and something sad leaked into his voice,

"I feel sorry for Nanako-chan. And that's _it._"

Feeling too constricted, too uncomfortable with Dojima staring at him confusedly, Adachi began to walk away. Quickly, too quickly. His raincoat felt heavy, his shirt collar choked him, his palms felt sweaty. He approached the door, opened it and slammed it shut behind him.

The resigned breath that escaped his lips felt warm in the air. Adachi stood on the Dojima household's welcome mat, feeling so odd, so shattered. The same question ran over and over in his head.

Why _was_ he angry? What _was_ there to be angry about?

There seemed to be only one conclusion. The only logical reason Adachi could even feel so strongly against Dojima not visiting Nanako…

And that reason was one man's, one very despicable man's name:

Kataki Adachi.

Behind Adachi, the door creaked open. A sliver of light shone on Adachi's pale face in the darkened, cloudy dawn. Sake and cigarette smell filled the air, and Adachi felt his eyes narrow in distaste. Dojima said something… but his voice was so distant, so far away.

Adachi was focused on the memory that filled his mind with ugly emotion.

Kataki Adachi, in his black hair and eyes, in his Adachi-like demeanor, stared down a younger version of Adachi. A bottle of sake was in Kataki's hand, a blush was painted across his formerly handsome face. Between he and his son, there was a gap, with their shadows connecting.

The younger, more childish version of Adachi had a cast on his arm, and he was staring at his father with a face void of any real emotion. The older version of Adachi saw this as creepy, scary even.

Kataki sipped at the long, thin bottle, smirking. And the younger version of Adachi said, in a voice that reflected his void face,

"_So this is what you were really doing."_

Something smacked Adachi in the back of his head, and the memory slipped away like water through fingers, like sun into cloud. Dojima had stepped outside with Adachi, leaving the door open behind him.

"Adachi!"

Dojima reached out to grab him, but Adachi grabbed the older detective's wrist and held it tightly but not painfully. He said, his voice almost as void of emotion as the younger version of himself,

"Just come back to work and visit Nanako-chan when you can, sir."

Twisting away from Dojima and walking onto the sidewalk, he said, loud enough for Dojima to hear,

"And leave me alone."

~Vindicated~

_Almost there…_

_Just a little further…_

_Hurry! Hurry!_

_He might come back!_

~Vindicated~

"_I hate him… I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. I hate Kataki Adachi!"_

Adachi tangled his fingers in his hair, feeling a deep sense of loathing reside in the pit of his stomach. The Shopping District had a dreary feeling as he walked through the streets. The gray clouds swirled in the air, bunched together and overlapping. The smallest sunbeam of light shone through a hole in the gray veil, providing the Shopping District a dim appearance.

There was something in the way that Adachi scowled, the way his skin crawled in dislike, that made the day seem even waner. Even more forlorn.

The contrast between Dojima and Adachi's father was too close for comfort, in Adachi's retrospect. Sake and cigarette smell lingered in his senses, making Adachi's eyes narrow angrily. He truly, completely felt sorry for Nanako. True, the reasons for not visiting their children were completely different, but Adachi saw Kataki Adachi and Ryotaro Dojima in the same light.

Kataki was the father who didn't care.

Dojima was the father who did.

Kataki abandoned Adachi.

Dojima abandoned Nanako.

Kataki did so because he didn't care.

Dojima did so because he was lost. Because he _did _care. Because he blamed himself for not being a good father.

The fingers in Adachi's hair curled, mussing up the black strands in a way that spoke very clearly about how much he really didn't care about his hair. Now, the anger and realization in Adachi's mind stopped buzzing around like pesky flies, but there was still something in Adachi's mind that was set in stone.

He disliked Dojima. Disliked him because he was too much like Adachi's father in habit. Too much like the only person Adachi had ever, truly hated.

"Adachi-san?"

Adachi stopped, looking up to be met with the face of a slightly bewildered and haggard-looking Souji. Souji watched Adachi through slightly narrow eyes, as if wondering why Adachi would return to the very spot the young detective found him.

True, Adachi himself would've marked that as suspicious behavior if the person involved returned to the crime scene. But he was slightly wounded by the fact that Souji would distrust him. But he sucked up his dreary mood and replied, jovially,

"Ah! Seta-san!"

Souji nodded, but there was a little mistrusting glow in his eyes that almost warned Adachi not to pull anything. Not that Adachi _would. _But Souji did have reason to be mistrusting. Especially given the odd circumstance of Adachi bringing Souji into his apartment.

"What are you doing here?" There was the tiniest bit of force behind Souji's voice.

"I had to tell Dojima-san that he should go visit Nanako-chan." Adachi replied, his head dipping down, a shadow crossing over his eyes. "Detective Takano asked me to. So now I'm just going home."

Souji seemed to accept this, as he nodded and smiled, the distrust disappearing from his eyes. Not completely, not truly, but the distrust wasn't evident in the gray eyes. Souji said, running a hand through his silver hair,

"Sorry if I'm… interrogating you about walking, but I'm just so… confused about when I fainted. I came back here to think."

Adachi smiled and nodded, rubbing at the sleeve of his yellow raincoat with his forefinger.

"Yeah." He said flatly.

"I'll head home now, though. Just standing around isn't accomplishing anything."

With that, Souji passed Adachi, but not before Adachi could say,

"Seta-san."

Souji turned, his eyes cast in slight confusion. He asked, confusedly,

"Yeah, Adachi-san?"

Adachi turned around, his hands in his pockets, his eyes lowered to the ground and said,

"Maybe you should visit Nanako-chan before heading home. And tell Dojima-san to do the same."

Souji blinked, as if he really couldn't believe Adachi was telling him this. As if he really, truly had believed that Adachi cared nothing about his friends, his family. But he nodded, and walked away, a smile thinning across his face.

~Vindicated~

_Just a few more seconds…_

_I need just a few more seconds…_

_Just a few more seconds!_

~Vindicated~

Adachi watched Souji as he walked away. It was only when Souji was nothing more than a little dot in the distance that Adachi turned around and continued walking. He had asked Souji to keep an eye on Dojima for him, had gone out of the way to make sure that Dojima would visit Nanako.

In all, Adachi really didn't understand his own actions. It was an odd mood swing he'd gone through. From concern, to anger, to distant, to concern again. If anything, Adachi didn't really even get the emotion he was feeling now, as he walked through the muggy Shopping District.

It was a mixture of anxiety, and accomplishment.

More or less, an odd stew of odd emotion.

Running a hand through his black hair, Adachi felt himself be pulled back into the case. Souji had a hunch. Maybe not one Souji thought he had, but a hunch nonetheless. The killer/kidnapper had the strange habit of being around the Shopping District.

Ebihara was hung near Konishi Liquors, Kashiwagi was hung above the wiring above an alley in the Shopping District, Adachi saw a man similar to Souji's description the day before Souji saw him and fainted. And Nanako…

Taking Nanako into account, the theory that the killer hung around the Shopping District faded. Nanako was taken from her home, which was quite a few streets away from the Shopping District. Adachi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

They had no leads. And they would have none until Nanako woke up, whenever that would be.

If Nanako didn't wake up soon… more people could be kidnapped, could suffer… and Adachi knew the Investigation Team couldn't… no, _wouldn't _let that happen.

But still, having everyone go through the Shadow ordeal…

Adachi shook his head, and rubbed at his eyes. The lack of sleep from yesterday's events seemed to wash over him as he felt the burden of sleepiness. Feeling that he was close to his apartment, Adachi smiled and looked up…

Only to feel his tiredness slip away as he realized that someone was hunkered below the lock of his apartment door, fumbling with lock picks as they attempted to break in.

"Hey!" Adachi felt himself bolt towards the hunkered person, who swore and jumped up, whipping around in a flurry of beige overcoat to look at Adachi.

Gray eyes met black, and then the person whipped around again, dashing through the street with Adachi on his heels. The yellow raincoat Adachi wore billowed out behind him, and his eyes narrowed as the person came closer and closer within his reach.

They passed Konishi Liquors, the barber shop, Tatsumi Textiles… All in a flurry of gray. Adachi found himself wondering if the person running ahead of him was thief or killer, because the person ahead matched Souji and his' description perfectly.

Yes, the person was tall, wore that blasted beige overcoat, and had a brown fedora on that was dipped low over his eyes.

There was no doubt in Adachi's mind that the man ahead of him, just within his grasp, was the killer.

And that made Adachi only want to run faster.

The man ahead of him tripped slightly, stumbling just enough so Adachi could grab his wrist. Adachi's fingers curled around the beige cloth tightly, vice-like, and a familiar malicious smirk crawled across his skin as he realized…

He had_ caught_ the bastard.

But something, from the writhing and twisting man's other sleeve, flew out at Adachi, hitting the young detective squarely in the forehead. The mysterious item dropped to the ground, and the tall man took this as his chance to get away.

The tight grip Adachi had on the tall man's wrist faltered, and within seconds, Adachi was watching the tall man's shadow disappear into the streets. Adachi held his aching forehead, cursing himself for not being able to hold tight enough.

The mysterious object, which had fallen at Adachi's feet, glinted when it caught the first few rays of the sun. Adachi leaned over to pick up, scowling darkly at his loss. He held the mysterious item up to eye-length, and with jolting shock, realized that it was a police badge.

But, there was something about the police badge that seemed different…

Then, Adachi realized. He recalled what Naoto Shirogane had said about fake police badges and uniforms. He recalled the very theory he'd devised long ago, about the idea that the killer was in the Inaba PD…

_This is a fake!_

~Vindicated~

**Yay! The plot's all ready to get rolling again!**

**Thanks to anyone who reviewed!**


	16. The Awakening

**I am so, so, so, so sorry that I've been gone for a whole 12 days. D: My family made me go out of town, and I couldn't update the day I'd wanted to. D: D:**

**Anyway, I'm back now, so expect regular updates and yada yada yada.**

Chapter 16: The Awakening

_Awake, Awake, oh wonderful child…_

_Awake, Awake, oh sorrowful child…_

_

* * *

  
_

Adachi simply stood there, stock-still, white with shock. The glinting piece of metal he held in his hand, the badge he held at arm's length… was nothing more than a fake. A fraud. A forgery. Adachi's hand shook, his skin crawled with anticipation as he realized how great… how awesome this new clue was.

This fake would prove to both he and the Investigation Team that the killer was someone who feigned access into the Amagi Inn through a fake police badge. Someone who also had unauthorized access into the interrogation room.

"_No one looks twice at police badges. This guy was able to sneak past all of us… clever bastard."_

Although Adachi found it odd that no one noticed the guy, he knew it meant that the man wasn't well-known in Inaba. Or it could've meant he was, but he simply kept the badge for the singular purpose of getting access to police-only areas. Adachi clenched his fingers around the badge, holding it tightly as if it were life itself.

His eyes narrowed, and he felt threatened almost, as he stood in the middle of the Shopping District. The morning sun gleamed down on him, warming his face, blazing in his eyes, catching the silver coating of the fake badge. The killer had escaped, literally, through his fingers.

Adachi felt his fingers curl painfully around the badge, as he realized fully that he had lost the battle. (He wouldn't lose the war, as he had assured himself.) His eyes darted from side-to-side, attempting to look for any indication that he might be jumped by the killer, the fish that'd got away.

Seeing, hearing and finding nothing, just the usual emptiness of the Shopping District, Adachi pocketed the fake badge, sighing. Obviously, the killer wasn't returning to retrieve his 'badge'.

"_That's a mistake," _Adachi thought, smirking. _"We can get rid of so many theories with this single piece of scrap metal."_

Adachi turned around, feeling heavy and weary with exhaustion. So many things had happened in just a few days, and they were finally beginning to take their toll on Adachi's status. Feeling his mind grow gritty, and static-like with tiredness, Adachi began the seemingly (In his mind.) long trek back to his apartment.

He felt like he could sleep forever.

And for once, his sleep wasn't riddled with ghastly nightmares of sharp wires against a sky, of bodies hung from telephone poles, and of a goddess whose lips were tightly sealed from telling secrets.

No, for the first time since he came to Inaba, Adachi had a dreamless, restful night.

* * *

"He's gone?" The tall man rasped out-of-breath and gasping for air. "Where… do you think he went?"

The killer/kidnapper already had a good clue where his partner had gone, abandoning the plan the two had devised and concocted. But he wanted to see what the puppet thought, and chew the puppet out for amusement. The puppet seemed to detect the tall man's petty intentions, because his head dipped low to the ground, and his mouth twisted in a dark scowl. The puppet replied, clenching the fists at his side,

"Who knows? I'm not exactly his keeper, am I?"

The killer's cheek twisted into a wolfish, feral smirk. But there was no hint of petty amusement in his tone when he said,

"Don't give me cheek, boy."

The puppet flinched, and he fiddled with the collar of his shirt, biting his lip. The killer rolled his eyes, and leaned against the brick wall of the alley.

If his partner was gone…

There would no doubt be unfortunate repercussions to the second's future actions…

* * *

_April 18__th__ 2012_

"Oh! Souji-kun!"

Yukiko and Chie ran towards Souji, who had stopped walking and had turned around to face them, his school bag slung over his shoulders. Souji smiled, his gray eyes catching the early morning light. A couple of students walked past him, gym bags and school bags swinging one way then the next.

Yukiko flipped her hair over her shoulder, and Chie brushed her bangs to the side, frowning. Giving the two girls a second to fix their hair, Souji said,

"Good morning, Chie, Yukiko."

Yukiko nodded stiffly, holding her school bag in front of her in a refined manner. Chie, who stood beside the Amagi Inn heir, was not as high. Chie grinned, and said,

"Hey, we were going to visit Nanako-chan today and we were wondering if you wanted to come with-"

"I'll come." Souji cut her off, nodding. Chie noticed he seemed a little off that morning, as if something had happened to him. But, Chie wasn't savvy, and she didn't voice her concern, settling with shooting him an odd look. Souji didn't spare Chie a glance, instead turning to Yukiko and asking, quizzically,

"Yukiko, do you know when Hanamura will arrive?"

Yukiko and Chie exchanged worried glances. Something was going on between Yosuke and Souji. Whether it was bad or good, they didn't know… but it was _something. _Yukiko answered Souji, smiling slightly, happily, but holding the handle of her school bag too tightly,

"Yosuke-kun said he was going to be a little late this morning. But he'll be here soon."

Souji gave Yukiko a curt nod before continuing to walk, his school bag slinging back and forth as he walked away. Again, Yukiko and Chie exchanged glances. Something was wrong, Chie could feel it, feel it crawl across her skin and make her shiver.

Yukiko, as un-savvy as she was, seemed to not notice anything, only staring at Souji with an odd expression on her face. Chie elbowed Yukiko lightly, making the Amagi heir turn her head to look at her,

"Hey Yukiko… do you think something happened to Souji-kun? He seems a little weird today…"

The Amagi heir's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked down, her black hair making a dark shroud over her eyes. Yukiko bit the inside of her lip, thinking of what Chie told her. Then, she remembered. She lifted her head to look at Chie and said, in a curious tone,

"I called Souji-kun the other night, and he told me he'd fainted in the middle of the Shopping District after seeing a tall man… who he thinks is the killer. Adachi-san found Souji-kun when he was going home. The two talked about it, and they decided that the guy Souji-kun saw was the killer."

Chie looked down, and bit her lip. _"Don't think, feel." _She reminded herself. She felt that Adachi and Souji were right. She felt that Souji was only acting weird because of the mayhem that must've occurred when he fainted.

But above all, Chie felt that something was going on.

Something that they, the Investigation Team, weren't seeing.

* * *

"_Maybe I should visit Nanako-chan today…" _Adachi thought to himself as he placed a mug of pitch black coffee on Dojima's desk. Dojima was sleeping, cradling the folders and papers for Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi's murder case and using them as a pillow. As the scarlet mug clinked against the desk, the black liquid inside swirled around, making little ripples in the coffee.

Adachi watched his reflection in the liquid and frowned. He reached into his jacket pockets, feeling the piece of metal that lay inside. There was still something nagging at him, pulling at his mind and telling him to _think about it. _Yes, the nagging thought that was telling him to _put the pieces of the puzzle together and __**look.**_

Adachi ran his fingers through his hair. Was there something he wasn't seeing? Something that was just under his nose?

Was the _killer _trying to shove a humongous clue at him?

Maybe even _watching _him?

"Ah! Adachi-san, I heard about what happened yesterday! Tough luck you didn't catch the guy, huh?"

Adachi jumped, then pinched the bridge of his nose before saying,

"Takano-san, you nearly scared me shitless."

Turning around, Adachi looked at Takano, who had stuck his head in through the door and was watching the sleeping Dojima with a bemused expression. Takano's black hair looked as if it hadn't been brushed, and was flopping about in his light gray eyes. Takano grinned, and proclaimed,

"Sorry, didn't mean to. Anyway, I'm glad to see you've gotten Dojima-san to come back. I swear, one more off day from Dojima-san and Chief Arakaki would've…"

"Yeah," Adachi really didn't want to speak to Takano now. He had work to do, and most of that work involved thinking about the murder case, instead of the filing work he'd been assigned to. "I've been on the receiving end of Arakaki's lectures. So I get the picture."

Turning around to shuffle papers together idly, Adachi hid his scowl away from Takano's gaze.

"Heh," But the senior officer just wouldn't leave Adachi alone. "Understandable. I mean, you don't exactly look like the working type. If you get my drift."

Adachi furrowed his eyebrows, shuffling the papers again, and retorted, in a mocking tone,

"Calling the kettle black. I've heard some of Arakaki's jabs at you, Takano-san."

Adachi could feel Takano's wounded stare on his back, and Adachi smiled, hoping that Takano would leave him alone. His luck apparently won out, because Takano said,

"Hm. Well, I just wanted to thank you for getting Dojima-san back to work and I hope they catch the guy that tried to break into your house."

The door closed behind Adachi, and the young detective let out a relieved breath. He closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. There was something about Isao Takano that made Adachi want to go mad with irritation. Maybe it was the way Takano seemed to be concerned about Adachi, seemed to stick his nose into other people's business.

Adachi peered into the black coffee in Dojima's coffee mug, looking at his agitated reflection. Something, similar to what Adachi had thought about the other day, crossed his mind,

"_Takano is tall as well… Souji Seta and Isao Takano… they're taller than most people, that's for sure…"_

The liquid rippled again when Dojima stirred on his desk and moved his head. Glancing at the grizzled detective, Adachi narrowed his eyes,

"_This profiling would include Dojima-san as well… but none of these people have done anything suspicious… Geez… what am I missing? What can't I not be seeing?"_

Adachi rubbed at his forehead, and glanced at the clock above his own desk. He'd be leaving soon. Perhaps he could talk the case over one more time with the Investigation Team? Maybe then, he could piece together the puzzle that'd eluded discovery?

Straightening his crooked tie, Adachi frowned.

The Truth had to be _unraveled._

The _puzzle_ had to be completed.

* * *

The killer smiled.

The chess pieces were on the board.

Now, the only thing there was to do…

Was wait and see what would happen.

_My dear partner, what have you done?_

As always, the killer smiled smugly to himself.

* * *

Adachi entered the hospital, attempting to correct his crooked tie. Something he was failing miserably at, it appeared. The flimsy red cloth hung diagonally from his neck as he tried to fix it. Reaching the front desk, Adachi decided to give up, and let his tie dangle from his neck.

"Um… I'm here to visit Nanako Dojima." He said to the desk lady, who nodded, pulled a paper from under the counter and replied,

"Second wing, first door on the left."

"Thanks."

Adachi now walked down the hospital hallway, biting his lip as he concentrated on fixing his tie.

However, his mind wasn't exactly focused on doing that. He was elsewhere, delving deeper into the murder case, attempting to piece together everything that he knew.

One, he knew that there had to be a single suspect. Not a group. Someone who had access into the city the day Ebihara died, and had returned to Inaba to murder Kashiwagi the day after. After all, they could've killed both of the women on the same day. Killing two birds with one stone, right?

Two, the suspect was most likely someone Souji knew personally. Or so Adachi had concluded, since Nanako was kidnapped from her home.

Three, the suspect was someone who most likely disliked Adachi, if the suspect had wanted Adachi back in prison, and would've gone to extreme lengths to attempt to get Adachi back in prison. After all, the person had left a ransom note bargaining for Adachi's incarceration in exchange for Nanako's release.

Four, the suspect had access to police-only areas via a faulty badge.

Adachi's eyes narrowed. The suspect list was endless, given the only means of profiling the suspect. Adachi's faulty memory of the suspect being tall and Souji's sighting of a tall man the day the latter fainted.

Yes, it would be hard to narrow down the list of suspects, when the list itself was so very, very long.

"_Who could it possibly be?"_

Adachi stopped as he reached Nanako's room. And with a gentle push of the door, he entered the room…

Only to be faced with eight sets of teenage eyes.

"_You have got to be kidding me. Again? Why do I always run into these damn kids?"_

* * *

Seeing Adachi visiting Nanako was shocking. They, the Investigation Team, had to admit. Maybe it was because they'd always thought Adachi never cared about Dojima or Dojima's daughter, Nanako. Maybe it was just left-over shock from seeing Adachi yet again, after the events in Magatsu Inaba. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the idea of seeing Adachi in the hospital, where they had confronted the young detective with the truth.

At the moment though, Yosuke Hanamura seemed to have not cared at all about why he was shocked to see Adachi, because his eyes narrowed into slits and he said, angrily,

"Why the hell are _you _here?"

Adachi locked eyes with Yosuke. Black met reddish brown. Exasperated eyes met angry eyes. Yosuke continued, his voice dripping with more hate and anger than even Izanami's voice,

"What reason could you have for coming here!?"

Behind Souji and Naoto, who exchanged worried and tired glances, Nanako's eyelids stirred, and blinked open groggily. Adachi broke away from Yosuke's glare and looked at Nanako. His eyes widened.

Nanako was awake from her coma.

Seeing where Adachi's gaze was, Souji's own eyes widened and he whipped around. The chair he was sitting on made a loud screech against the ground. The air rose in happiness until Nanako swiveled her head around to look at everyone.

Her big brown eyes landed on Souji and…

She screamed.

A scream that shattered the happy air around everyone.

* * *

**Heehee! :D I'm so happy I'm back!**

**Updates shall continued regularly now. I'm not leaving for a while! :D :D**


	17. Silver And Gold

**I realized something very funny. Karen Strassman, the person that voices Izanami, voices a character in Witch Hunter Robin called 'Chie'. xD**

**She also does Aigis' voice, Nanako's voice and Kanji's mother's voice. xD**

**It's a sign!!!**

**Kanji's Mother is the killer! I knew it!**

Vindicated

Chapter 17: Silver And Gold

_In your eyes I see a pond of trouble…_

_You've been hiding from us the whole time…_

_

* * *

  
_

Nanako leapt from her hospital bed, scooting away from Souji hurriedly, hastily. The oxygen mask on her mouth fell onto the bed sheets beside her, pulled off from the abrupt motion. She leaned near the edge of the bed. Nanako's eyes never left Souji, and they were wide with…

Fear?

"G…" Nanako struggled to get the words out, stuttering and frightened. "Get away from me!"

Nanako's eyes shut tightly, as if she wanted to get the sight of Souji's face out of her mind. She jerked her head to the side, but the sudden, abrupt movement made Nanako lose her grip on the edge of bed, and she began to slowly fall backwards. Teddie dove forward to catch her, his shoulder crashing into one of the beeping hospital machines as he held Nanako in his arms. Her eyes were still closed tightly, and she buried her head into Teddie's chest. Her head knocked the scarlet carnation off of Teddie's shirt, and it fell to the floor, red against marble.

The rest of the Investigation Team were stock-still, including Adachi, wondering what the hell was going on.

Souji however, seemed unfazed. In fact, his silver eyes narrowed ever so slightly in dismay, or wrath. But Adachi swore he could see the slightest ghost of a smile on Souji's lips. Souji was standing, his shadow looming over Nanako like a dark storm cloud. The ghost of a smile faded, and his eyes widened in false concern.

"She… she woke up!" Yosuke proclaimed. The brunette seemed to have forgotten Adachi, as he had turned away and crept towards Teddie and Nanako. Yosuke looked careful, cautious; as if he were afraid his own presence would make Nanako hysterical.

Adachi glanced at Souji. Why was Nanako, who loved Souji with all her heart, suddenly afraid of Souji? It made almost no sense… Unless…

"_Souji's the kidnapper? No… it couldn't be… he was with the Investigation Team during the Heaven incident…"_

Nanako clutched Teddie's collar, her fingers white and pale as she tightened her grip. Adachi continued analyzing, watching Souji through contemplative eyes,

"_But… the kidnapper had left the scene… when they reached Nanako…"_

Nanako's eyes opened slightly, the brown making a small line of color against her pale skin. Nanako yelled, her voice slightly muffled by Teddie's ruffled shirt,

"Souji took me away…" Her voice was cut off by a sob, and Adachi realized she was crying. "He took me… back to that place… I… want my daddy… I don't want _him _by me… Help me Teddie…"

You could hear a pin fall; it had grown so quiet in the hospital room. Outside, the spattering of rain against the window was the only sound audible. Drops of rain were spider-webbed against the glass, giving it a cracked expression. Adachi, and Naoto, were staring at Souji, something like realization in their gaze.

Souji was Nanako's kidnapper.

Yet, it still didn't make sense.

The silence was broken, by another mournful sob from Nanako, and the sound of the door behind Adachi being slammed open. A nurse came in, a cigarette hanging from her mouth.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" The nurse strode in, standing beside Adachi. The cigarette drew a whirl of smoke from the tip, and fell to the ground as the nurse's jaw dropped. She took in the eight teenagers, the beeping machines that were out of place, the oxygen mask forgotten on Nanako's bed sheets, and the crying Nanako, curled up in Teddie's arms, a sobbing mess.

The nurse's face colored, in anger or realization that she was doing such a crappy job as a nurse, and she yelled, pointing at the open door,

"All of you! Out! Out, out, out!"

The nurse pushed passed Naoto, Rise and Yosuke, and ripped Nanako from Teddie's arms. Teddie was pale, his crystal gaze wide in shock as he stepped back. The nurse placed Nanako back on the hospital bed, and placed the oxygen mask back on. Kindly, the nurse tucked in Nanako before realizing that everyone was still there. Frozen.

"I said, _out!"_

Listlessly, Teddie was the first to move, and Adachi followed him. Eventually, the entire Investigation Team began to file out of Nanako's room, stock-still with shock. (Save Naoto, who kept a calm, quiet composure.)

As soon as everyone was in the hall. A few minutes of silence had passed until Kanji lifted his head, stared Souji straight in the eye, and snarled,

"You little _shithead." _

He moved forward, jerked actually, but Adachi and Naoto jumped forward, grabbing Kanji's wrists as Kanji lifted them to punch Souji in the face. Kanji stopped, but spat on the ground near Souji's feet, and snarled again,

"Bastard!"

"Kanji-kun." Naoto said sternly. Kanji swiveled his head to look at Naoto. "Let's please go over the facts. Seta-senpai can wait."

Naoto's gaze moved to the side, glaring at Souji. Warning him. Adachi repeated the motion, and Souji met the young detective's gaze, something dark and ugly within the cold steel-gray eyes. Adachi felt himself shrink inwardly, and felt the sudden desire to hide from Souji.

Because the indifferent look in Souji's eyes _scared _Adachi. Spooked him.

Nodding reluctantly, Kanji jerked his wrist away from Naoto, and Adachi let go of Kanji's wrist and stepped back. Kanji walked back, standing beside the rest of the Investigation Team. Rise looked shocked, and her hand covered her mouth, as if she were trying her hardest not to scream at Souji. Yukiko was looking at the ground, her hands bunching into the folds of her skirt. Chie was the only girl that looked at Souji defiantly, something fiery inside her light brown gaze.

Naoto stepped ahead of them, standing beside Adachi.

"I should have known." She said flatly, forcing her voice lower. It sounded slightly ridiculous. "I had my suspicions, but I brushed them away. It was so… contradicting. The logic in it made no sense."

Naoto shook her head, and pulled the brim of her cap low over her eyes.

"But… I see now." She continued. "You, Souji Seta, were the only one Nanako would've trusted to be inside the house, besides Dojima-san. But Dojima-san was at work during the time Nanako-chan was kidnapped."

The corners of Souji's mouth twitched.

"However…" Naoto lifted her head, facing Souji with a menacing, dark stare. "You aren't the real Souji, are you?"

Then, Adachi realized.

Souji fainting… the tall man watching…

Was it a trap? Was the Souji Adachi found not really Souji at all? But… someone else? How could he have missed this?

No… how could _they_ have missed this?

Souji's head tilted to the side. And he closed his eyes.

When Souji opened them…

They glittered a dark, gold color. An ugly, nasty color that Adachi and everyone on the Investigation Team knew all too well. Seeing the shock on everyone's faces, Shadow Souji smiled, his face stuck between a grimace and a smile of malice.

Slowly, as if he were walking in slow motion, Shadow Souji turned on his heel…

And bolted down the hall.

"Come back here, you son of a bitch!" Kanji yelled.

"Senpai!" Rise called.

Adachi bolted down the hall as well, chasing Shadow Souji, an eager look on the young detective's face. Had they caught the bastard? Was the killer finally discovered?

Distantly, Adachi worried for Souji, and wondered where the teen could possibly be.

"_Right in front of you, idiot."_

Souji's jacket flapped wildly behind him as he ran ahead of Adachi. The kid was a fast runner, Adachi had to admit. But so was Adachi, and even more so. Adachi was quickly catching up to Souji, until Souji ran through the revolving hospital doors, pushing them harshly so they swiveled dangerously fast. Adachi stopped, letting out a gasp for breath.

Through the glass of the revolving door, Adachi watched Shadow Souji slink away into the gloomy rain. Into shadow and out of sight.

"Damn it." Adachi swore.

"Adachi-san!" Rise ran up, standing beside him. "Did you catch Senpai?"

"No," Adachi replied, reluctantly, admitting defeat. "He got away."

* * *

In the darkness and gloominess of the Shopping District, a tall man garbed in a beige overcoat and brown fedora smiled.

"_And thus it has begun."_

There was a scarlet edge to his eyes, under the shadow of the fedora.

* * *

Adachi felt the rain pepper his skin as he walked through the Shopping District, walking to his apartment on instinct. His hands were in his pockets, and his head hung low. In defeat, sharp anger.

How could they have missed it?

Shadow Souji was behind the killings? Nanako's kidnapping?

Deep down, Adachi wished that he were dreaming, having a nightmare. Adachi wished he would just wake up and be back in prison, and find out that this was nothing but a walking nightmare. Listlessly, Adachi pinched the back of his hand. Nothing. Just a sharp pain.

Why couldn't it have been a very vivid nightmare? Why?

However, along the wish that this was a dream, Adachi _knew _deep down that it made sense. Shadows could roam freely; Teddie was a living, breathing example. Souji's Shadow murdered Mayumi and Konishi. Ebihara and Kashiwagi. And kidnapped Nanako.

Yet, at the same time, it didn't make sense.

Where were Adachi's lost memories? Why couldn't he remember the murders? Why would a Shadow kill those people? How did the Shadow get loose? Why send a ransom note? Why need a forged police badge?

The loose ends were end_less_.

Out of all of those, Adachi needed to know where his memories were. Needed to know why he couldn't access them.

And also…

Why _him? _Why a Detective who got shipped out to Inaba for a silly mistake?

There were plenty of other detectives who worked on the case, other than him. So why him?

Adachi stopped, feeling the rain drench his hair, his clothes. Run across his skin like liquid diamonds. Adachi's black eyes narrowed.

And for the first time since he realized he couldn't remember anything…

Adachi _thought._

_Tall man. Dark entrance. Yellow. Black. Red. Black. Red. Black…_

All he saw was a hand whip out of the darkness and pull him by his hair. Whoever it was that jumped out of the dark alley Adachi had foolishly stopped by, practically _yanked _Adachi into the darkness by his hair.

The next thing Adachi knew, were pale hands bunching into the cloth of his shirt collar and pinning him against the brick walls between Tatsumi Textiles and an abandoned building.

Stars danced in front of Adachi's eyes as the back of his head collided with the brick wall. Everything went black, and then the world slunk back into color. Slowly.

All Adachi saw, were two round, yellow eyes staring at him. And a smile that was so twisted, so black, that Adachi felt something tie a knot in his throat. His mouth ran dry. The hands bunched into the fabric of his collar felt cold, stiff.

"Having a nice afternoon, Adachi-_san?"_

Shadow Souji asked, emphasizing the 'san', as if mocking Adachi. Adachi's arms flung up, grabbing Shadow Souji's wrists as the latter held him tightly against the wall. The twisted, curled smile on the Shadow's mouth warned Adachi to not yell, or scream.

Adachi met Shadow Souji's smile with a smile of his own.

"Not really. 'Cause, y'know, realizing your partner's nephew's inner demon is really an insane serial killer isn't exactly the best way to end your lunch break." Adachi replied mirthlessly, holding Shadow Souji's wrists tightly.

Shadow Souji chuckled, but the laugh reached neither his smile nor his eyes.

The grip on Adachi's collar tightened, and Shadow Souji said, flatly,

"Are you implying I killed _them?"_

"Yeah, I guess I am." Adachi added quickly, "So, is your reason a lame one? You a thrill killer?"

"Oh," Shadow Souji's smile thinned, as if he found Adachi's allusion annoying. "I'm not _you, _Adachi."

That was a hit below the belt.

"Or was it you?" Shadow Souji added as Adachi's eyes narrowed. "You can't remember. Your memories went _poof."_

The grip on Souji's wrists was so hard, so stiff, that if Shadow Souji were real, the wrists would've been broken. Adachi snarled, all coolness and calmness forgotten and swallowed up by wrath,

"What did you do to my memories?!"

Shadow Souji's eyes danced in delight at Adachi's seething anger. The Shadow said, full of mirth,

"No… Adachi, I've done nothing. Maybe you just _forgot?"_

Adachi tensed. Then retorted, angrier than ever,

"What the _**hell **_did you do!? Answer me, dumbass!"

"I didn't do anything, Adachi."

Adachi's knuckles turned bone-white, as he gripped Shadow Souji's wrists so very hard. What did Shadow Souji do? What did the Shadow know? Distantly, Adachi wondered if Shadow Souji was toying with him, pulling his strings like a wooden puppet. It wounded Adachi's pride, not being in control of the situation. The ball was in the Shadow's court, and the Shadow should no sign of letting the ball go very easily.

Shadow Souji leaned in, his lips grazing Adachi's ear. The Shadow whispered, his voice dry and icy,

"If you want answers, you're just going to have to come and get me."

And then…

Shadow Souji disappeared.

The fingers bunched in Adachi's collar were gone. The force that pinned him to the brick wall was nonexistent. The round, yellow eyes that danced in delight at Adachi's wrath were no longer there.

It was as if the Shadow had melted into shadow.

Adachi coughed, and leaned against the brick wall, sinking to the floor. Spots danced in front of his eyes, and a heavy, sick feeling washed over him. The rain continued to fall, peppering Adachi with cool, welcome drops. He felt feverish, sick.

"…_Receive you vindication, Adachi." _

"For you deserve it, Child of Man."

Adachi's head whipped around. At the mouth of the alley stood Izanami, her scarlet eyes glittering, gleaming in the dark gloominess of the April afternoon. Her robes flowed around bare, pale feet like pure, paper-white waves. Her silver hair glistened, drenched by the storm.

"Iza…nami." The name came out in barely a whisper.

Izanami smiled, and walked towards Adachi. Adachi watched her, still sitting on the ground of the alley. When Izanami stood in front of him, she extended her long, pale hand. Adachi took it, shivering at how cold it was. It reminded him of Shadow Souji's hands, which had nearly choked the life out of him minutes ago.

Izanami pulled him up, her eyes catching his.

"As you have seen, the culprit is but a child's Shadow."

Stiffly, Adachi nodded.

"But you are not convinced. You see loose ends. Unanswered questions and hidden truths."

"Yeah, I'm not convinced at all. What's your point, Izanami?" Adachi asked, irritably.

Izanami leaned in. She was now nose-to-nose with Adachi.

"My point is," Adachi could feel her breath on his lips. "That Shadow is nothing but a silly toy. A puppet pulled by strings."

"You _know _who it is?" Adachi felt a tinge of anger strike him. "Then why haven't you said-"

Izanami shook her head, gray curls hanging low over her eyes as she whispered,

"As I have said, I like to watch you mortals run around, frantically searching for truths when many would rather the undesirables be hidden in fog." She looked at Adachi pointedly, as if saying, 'You are an example of those many'.

"To me," She continued, her scarlet eyes gleaming. "Watching you all run like rats on a wheel is quite amusing."

Adachi frowned darkly.

The world ran into sepia, and time seemed to freeze.

_The World Social Link has reached level 2!_

And color returned. And Adachi blinked.

Izanami lifted her hands… slowly… carefully…

And then, she grabbed the back of Adachi's head, yanked him towards her and… _kissed _him.

It was rough, Adachi's teeth clacked against Izanami's. And she bit him, hard, leaving a rusty, metallic tang in his mouth.

And everything turned black.

* * *

:-D


	18. Backside Of The TV

**Wow. We're finally nearing the end of the 1****st**** Arc. We've got plenty more Arcs to go through, but I can't believe I actually got this far in this story.**

**Awesomesauce.**

**First chapter of the New Year!!! :D**

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Vindicated

Chapter 18: Backside Of The TV

_Listen… I've got to tell you something!_

_These are the last words I'm gonna say to you!_

_

* * *

  
_

_April 19__th__ 2012_

Ultramarine was the only color Adachi could see as he opened his eyes lazily. His cheek was lying against a velvet floor, and his head was turned awkwardly to the left, where the only thing he could see ahead of him was a large, steel elevator door. His fingers felt stiff, and they couldn't move, couldn't curl into a fist.

Adachi tried to find out where he was, and why he was lying on the ground. The answers came in the form of things he noticed.

There was a ringing sound in his ears, a numb feeling in the back of his head, a burning on his wrists, and a rusty tang on his lips. (Blood, he realized.)

Was he dead?

Adachi closed his eyes, and tried to conjure up the memories hidden in fog. He remembered Izanami… and him in a dark alley… she kissed him and then everything went black.

"_Izanami!" _Adachi opened his eyes again, and they widened in fear for the Japanese goddess. Where was she? Was she safe? What did she do to him?

"Do not be alarmed," Adachi's ears pricked as a voice, familiar and unwanted, rang throughout the elevator. "You are fast asleep in the real world."

Adachi tried to think of whose voice this was. It was raspy, aged… oddly and ominously familiar. The fog still muddled his thoughts, and the ringing noise in his ears didn't cease. He kept trying to think… and then it hit him, like a sunbeam shining through the fog and clearing away the mugginess.

He was in the Velvet Room.

Adachi struggled to peel himself off of the elevator floor, his fingers trembling as even they struggled to move. As he leaned against the wall of the elevator, he started to scratch the back of his head.

"Ow!" His fingers brushed against an open wound and Adachi froze, paling. His hair was matted with crusted blood, and the strands felt like thick, fragile wires. Again, an unwanted thought began to creep through his mind, invading his muggy thoughts…

Was he _dead?_

What the **hell **_happened?_

"We have been expecting you." Igor's voice was flat, as if he really didn't care about the bleeding, pale man in the Velvet Room. Adachi glared at him, his black eyes narrowing into angry, authoritative slits. He spat at Igor, the sarcasm dripping off every word,

"Yeah. Great." The ringing in his ears grew louder in crescendo. And Adachi flinched as his wrists burned. Glancing down, he noticed two chafe marks on his wrists, half-hidden by the sleeves of his black suit-jacket. He had no idea how they got there, but he did know, that they were quite painful. Adachi winced again as the pain stabbed at him again.

Margaret, who was sitting next to Igor in an ultramarine couch, looked at Adachi slightly worriedly, holding the Persona Compendium tightly. Igor was still expressionless, watching Adachi solemnly from his ultramarine couch.

Adachi assumed that a bleeding man was not the most surprising thing that had happened in the Velvet Room. If his current status wasn't able to garner some interest from them.

Or, more likely, it could've been the fact that Igor and Margaret just simply didn't care.

Igor's ominous, creepy smile spread across his face, sending a chill of discomfort down Adachi's spine. What was the old man thinking?

Something, maybe a hint of intuition, told Adachi he didn't want to find out.

"The catastrophe you are heading towards is imminent."

"Yeah, I know." Adachi's reply was weak, broken. The ringing in his ears ceased for a quiet, wonderful second, and then started up again. Adachi leaned heavily against the elevator wall, hands curling around the steel bars for support. He saw Igor smile, wave a hand over the little table in front of him, and Adachi watched as three cards appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

Igor flipped a first card over, and said words Adachi had forgotten,

"The World, upright. This card marks a time where the journey may have stopped, but a new one has begun. One that, you, Tohru Adachi, will help to complete."

Igor's hand traveled towards the card beside it, the one in the middle. He flipped over this card as well,

"The Magician, upright. This card marks a time where you will have power. But this time, you will use that power constructively, and wisely."

Ultimately, finally, Igor flipped over the final card,

"Justice, upright. The deeds of the past are not easily forgotten, Tohru Adachi, as you will discover, soon enough…"

The Velvet Room began to fold in on itself. Again and again and again.

And Adachi's vision turned black.

He'd slipped from consciousness yet again.

* * *

The rain peppered Yosuke's window solemnly, quietly. He'd been staring blankly out at the sky for quite some time, worried about Souji's well being. Yosuke felt like a dick. He'd blindly assumed Adachi was the one behind everything, when in truth, it was Souji. Leader. _Partner._

"_All that glitters is not gold, Yosuke-kun." _Souji had told him once. _"Appearances can be deceiving."_

Behind Yosuke, the cubed clock reached 11:59 PM. Yosuke felt his heart race, heard the techno beat of some stupid song blast in his ears, felt the adrenaline pump through his veins. It had been a while, since the Team had been pulled so tightly together. Without Souji, Yosuke had feared the group might get torn apart, ripped from the bonds they had forged together in the TV.

It was awesome when Souji came back. Yosuke had forgotten his fears.

But… along with Souji, so had Adachi.

And everything had gotten awkward again.

Running a hand through his golden-brown hair, Yosuke tried to keep a cool composure. He feared greatly for Souji's well-being, and pondered what Shadow Souji was doing right now.

Behind him, the clock ticked to 12:00 AM. Midnight. The dark hour. A small murmur of voices escaped the clock, and Adachi smacked his hand over the snooze button, tearing himself away from the dark window.

Yosuke turned his head towards the TV in his room, and watched his reflection. A worried boy stared back.

Suddenly, the screen slowly began to turn white with static, blurriness, and Yosuke swallowed, taking the headphones off his ears. The image started with three vaguely familiar figures. One stood in front of two seated figures, their arms crossed over their chest.

The image came into sharper focus, and Yosuke curled his fingers around the headphones tightly, too tightly.

Souji was a bloody mess. Literally. Unconscious as well.

Adachi was sitting next to Souji, in no better shape than the guy he sat next to.

Almost immediately, Yosuke's cell rang.

_Pi Pi Pi Pi Pi!!!_

* * *

There was no other color but shades of gray. Light grays, dark grays, neutral grays. It was as if the new room he was in had been sucked of every other color.

The ringing sound grew to its loudest volume yet.

The back of Adachi's head began to throb painfully, breaking through the guise of numbness he had had in the Velvet Room.

Bleakly, Adachi tried to open his eyes fully and blink away the grogginess, the blurriness in his vision. No such luck. His eyelids felt as if they were made of lead. Wearily, he closed his eyes, too tired to move, to think.

A voice, vicious and angry, cut through the ringing in Adachi's ears unevenly,

"So, spit it out! Say everything you need to say!"

It was a familiar voice, Adachi noticed distantly. One he'd heard this angry only once before. He twitched, fidgeted as he finally noticed that something icy, cool, was around his wrists, chaining them together. The fog of confusion muddled his thoughts. Where was he _now?_

He recalled the vivid color of ultramarine, Izanami's hair, a rusty tang.

Another voice spoke, this one malicious, distorted,

"Adachi-san isn't much of an audience, dear Souji."

Something… no, _someone _brushed against his shoulder. The malicious voice continued, as Adachi fidgeted uncomfortably,

"We're waiting for those _buddies _of yours, Souji." The voice emphasized buddies sarcastically, making whoever was beside Adachi tense up. Freeze.

Adachi tried to open his eyes again, feeling his strength continue to be sapped away, slowly.

He shifted; hearing little plinks through the ringing in his ears as he tried to make himself more comfortable. He realized he was sitting on gravel made of several little, (Sharp!) pebbles. Wincing as he realized that the cold metal on his wrists were none other than handcuffs, Adachi gained the strength to open his eyes.

Everything was gray. Neutral.

It reminded Adachi of prison. The floor was made of loose pebbles, chains hung from the ceiling lowly, like vines, and there were bars all across the flagstone walls, like thick, dark gray stripes. Adachi lifted his head up, and found himself staring into the golden gaze of Shadow Souji.

Shadow Souji smiled, his smile malicious, evil as he spoke mirthfully,

"Ah, you're awake, Adachi-san. _Finally."_

Adachi looked to the right, and saw Souji, the _real _Souji sitting beside him, staring up at his Shadow with a look akin to blazing fury. Adachi swore he saw the fire in Souji's steel-gray eyes. Souji tore his gaze from the Shadow, looked at Adachi and nodded stiffly, numbly. Adachi nodded back.

The Shadow's smirk spread across his face, thinning into a curved line,

"I was awfully surprised when you just appeared out of nowhere in front of my little dungeon." He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the chains, the flagstone walls, the thick metal bars. "I predicted you to start doubting yourself, to start doubting the _TRUTH." _The last word rung out across the room loudly, echoing off of the walls.

Shadow Souji leaned in, crouching down to Adachi's eye level. He said, his golden eyes narrowing,

"Actually, I was _sure _of it. So I decided that there had to be some **other **reason for you to just show up in front of the dungeon. After all," Shadow Souji lifted a finger, and placed the tip on the little bite-wound on Adachi's bottom lip. "I didn't give you that."

Adachi felt the urge to bite his finger off.

He'd already come to the conclusion as to why he randomly appeared in front of the dungeon. Izanami.

"_**She's **_helping you, isn't she? Making sure you uncover the truth, making sure you defeat **that person." **The Shadow snorted condescendingly.

Adachi looked at Souji out of the corner of his eye. Souji was staring at him, working out who 'she' was. It took a second, but a stroke of revelation crossed his face, and he paled, staring at Adachi with disbelief. Shadow Souji chuckled, noticing Souji's expression,

"She isn't a goddess of lies, unfortunately. Merely a goddess of darkness. When she escaped Yomi, she brought quite a lot of _demons _over here. Perhaps she wishes to make amends?"

Shadow Souji's words brought back words Izanami had said, a long time ago. They cut through Adachi's thoughts, making the ringing sound cease,

"_There are more demons other than myself that have escaped the gates of Yomi. Find this killer, child of man, and find your vindication…"_

"You're one of them." Adachi said without thinking. His eyes widened. "She… came to me in a dream. I thought there was one but there are… many, aren't there?"

The smile on the Shadow's face was so twisted, that Adachi could feel bile coming up his throat. He clenched his teeth, grating them. The fog around the three grew thicker and thicker, as Adachi said,

"I should have thought this through, should have put the damn facts together!"

"But you didn't, Adachi-san. As Hanamura-kun said once, you're just a textbook lousy detective."

* * *

The screen in Yosuke's room had turned back to black.

But the golden-brown-haired teenager was already closing the door quietly, sneakily. Quietly.

* * *

Somewhere, in the Shopping District, Izanami stood with her back against the brick wall Adachi had leaned on. Her ruby eyes were cast downward, gleaming in spite of the gray veil of hair that hung in front of her eyes. Izanami's mouth was set in a straight line, as if she were thinking about something serious.

Her robe was drenched, and it hung at her bare feet limply, lifelessly. But the goddess didn't seem to care.

Izanami wiggled her toes, scrunching them up and feeling the filth below her feet. This alley was filthy, she realized, much like the world was today.

No,_ too_ much like the world was today.

Izanami lifted her head, staring up into the swirling dark clouds, looking at the full moon that was half-hidden by the dark clouds. It was midnight, she realized. The dark hour.

"_Children of Man," _She prayed quietly, closing her eyes. _"Be safe. For their sake."_

* * *

Junes was eerily quiet at night.

There was no annoying, cheery jingle.

There were no customers talking and laughing and gossiping.

It almost seemed as if Junes was dead, sucked of all the life that had made it such a nice place. It almost seemed as dead as the seven teenagers that were creeping along the exit of the Food Court, carrying flashlights that caught the reflections of the grimy mirrors. The Investigation Team was looking extremely panicked, and didn't seem to mind the fact that they were walking through a storm without coats or umbrellas.

Oddly enough, they were wearing school uniforms.

And those school uniforms looked as if there were things concealed underneath. Sharp things, judging from the triangular bulge on one Yosuke Hanamura's sleeve.

Yosuke gripped his orange flashlight tightly, holding onto a ring of keys in his other hand. Chie was just behind him, her hair sticking straight up as if she had just crawled out of bed. Beside Yosuke, Kanji was clutching onto a steel plate tightly, his fingers bone-white.

Rise, Naoto, Yukiko and Teddie made up the rear, looking disheveled and worn.

None of them had expected _Souji _to be next.

Nor had they expected their leader's _Shadow _to be the one behind Nanako's kidnapping. (And, possibly, behind the murders.)

Yukiko looked up as the rain glanced off of her pale skin. She shivered, feeling very cold in the midnight breeze and rain. She wondered if they would catch a cold out here, in the rain and the storm.

"_It'd be worth it," _Yukiko told herself. _"If we get Souji-kun and Adachi-san back."_

The group headed towards the picnic table, where they got cover from the rain. Everyone was quiet as they sat down, no one saying a word.

The silence lasted for a few seconds, before Naoto broke it,

"We need to save Seta-senpai," She fixed the brim of her crooked cap. "And Adachi-san as well."

"Speaking of Adachi-san…" Chie fidgeted a little as she spoke. "He and the Shadow's talk… were they talking about _Izanami?"_

"Tch," Kanji interjected, shaking his head and holding the metal plate tightly. "Doubt she'd help us. Make sense if she'd help Adachi though."

"Yeah…" Rise cocked her head to the side, her lips pouting. "But why the heck would she help us through Adachi? She… was the cause of the fog, the Midnight Channel!"

"But there's someone else now," Yosuke replied flatly. "Maybe Ms. Root-Of-All-Evil doesn't like this guy?"

"Wow Yosuke," Teddie blinked, grinning. "You don't think it's Adachy-baby anymore! Amazing!"

Yosuke's expression hardened, and he placed the ring of keys on the picnic table, saying,

"I stole these out of my dad's desk. We need to save Leader right now, and then we can worry about deductions and whatnot."

Naoto nodded,

"Indeed. Let us go."

* * *

**Because this took a while, I have a song for you dear readers.**

**I made this up while writing an essay in school. (And failing at it.)**

"**A song about folding paper" By Pectus Noctem**

'**Fold it to the left!'**

'**Fold it to the right!'**

'**Crumple it up!'**

'**Throw it away~!'**

'**Oh shit!'**

'**You missed!'**

**

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	19. A Twisted Irony

**So close to the end of the 1****st**** arc~!**

**I can taste my pride!**

**Enjoy!**

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Vindicated

Chapter 19: A Twisted Irony

_I hear voices in my head…_

_They council me, they understand…_

_

* * *

  
_

Adachi had taken to counting the loose pebbles in the floor. Souji had long since fallen unconscious, remaining silent about Adachi and Izanami's contact. Adachi had the feeling that he would no doubt be questioned about the matter later on, however. But, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Or burn it, seeing as he was _that _unlucky when it came to dealing with the Investigation Team.

The fog had made him slightly sick, and the fact that he couldn't see Shadow Souji didn't help matters either. In fact, Adachi could almost swear he was starting to become paranoid, because he had felt as if someone were staring at him through the veil of fog for quite some time now. Glancing upwards, tearing himself from the rows and rows of loose gravel, he tried to pick out gleaming yellow eyes from the fog.

But everything blurred together in this place, in _Souji's_ reality.

Adachi shivered, as a sudden cold crawled down his spine. He was still handcuffed, and the metal was surprisingly icy as it bit into his wrists, leaving red chafe marks that were half-hidden under the black sleeves of his jacket. He couldn't reach into his pockets to take out the card his Persona was sealed in, a fact that Shadow Souji most likely made sure of.

Bishamon was useless to him at the moment.

And that made Adachi feel so _weak._

A voice hung at the edge of his hearing, his own voice he realized, whispering soft, distressing words,

"_You're so pathetic. So weak."_

Adachi dug his fingers into the ground behind him, feeling the sharp pebbles as they scratched and brushed against the tips of his fingers.

"_Just relax," _He told himself, told his Shadow. _"Seta-kun's friends will come for us."_

"_Really?" _His Shadow, his Persona, retorted condescendingly. _"You do realize they'll just rescue Seta and leave you here, right? I mean, come on, you might've accepted me, but I didn't think I was this big of an idiot."_

Adachi bit his lip, his tongue running against the little bite-wound he had from Izanami. What if this was true? After all, Souji was leading the Investigation Team when they spared his life in Magatsu Inaba. And Adachi doubted that whoever was leading the team this time, were as merciful as Souji was. After all, Souji was renowned for his _saintly _understanding.

Adachi remembered the Hanamura kid, the kid who decided Adachi was better off in jail than dead. Upon the revelation that Souji's Shadow was behind everything, would he leave Souji to die? After all, Adachi assumed that they were feeling something akin to betrayal.

And betrayal could be quite the bitch.

A snicker pierced the air, making Adachi jerk his head up. His eyes searched through the yellow fog, attempting to pick out gleaming eyes and a dark, malicious smile. The snicker became a full-blown giggle, the tone hollow as if Shadow Souji wasn't really feeling giddy about anything. The giggle became a laugh, and Adachi found himself shivering, his fingers digging deeper into the gravel behind him.

"They're coming," Shadow Souji sang, literally sang, as if singing a jingle. "They're coming, they're coming…"

Footsteps echoed across the floor, and Adachi brought his knees to his chest, still searching for where Shadow Souji stood.

"They're coming to their deaths!"

The laugh became a hollow, dark cackle.

Adachi closed his eyes, feeling the delirium of the fog begin to muddle his mind.

* * *

The rain peppered the ground around the tall man, soaking his beige overcoat, soaking his dark hair, soaking his pale skin. There was a sort of sick, twisted smile on his lips as he stared into the mini-window of his cell, reading the text he had received from his puppet.

_Your partner has gone and done what he said he'd do._

There were a few other mindless things said after that, but the tall man skimmed over them. His eyes latched onto the final line in the text message, separated from the chunky paragraph. This was the important part of the message. At least to the puppet it was.

_We had a deal. You better uphold your end, or I won't uphold mine._

An empty threat, the tall man knew. The puppet wouldn't leave his side, not for a minute. Closing the text, the tall man sent his reply, smirking smugly to himself.

**I know this, puppet.**

With unnecessary force, the tall man hit the send button.

* * *

"This place…"

Yosuke's breath hitched as his eyes took in the new dungeon. Thick metal bars arched over him and the rest of the Investigation Team, imitating an archway. Equally thick chains hung overhead like a forest of metal vines. Yukiko finished Yosuke's sentence for him, her eyes widening as she spoke,

"It's a prison… why a prison?"

The Investigation Team looked vaguely pathetic without their leader, as if a huge chunk of their power had been ripped from them. They felt pathetic as well. Souji had been their support system, the person they had all turned to with their troubles. Now, he was gone, and the Investigation Team was left without a leader.

This fact, made almost everyone cringe inwardly in dismay.

They'd also lost the key to the case, Adachi. Without Adachi, without the memories that were tampered by the fog, all hope of solving the case would've been lost.

A heavy cloud of tension and distress hung over the team, as they continued onward into the prison.

"This is LockDown. Enjoy yourself." An all-too-familiar voice announced proudly, maliciously.

* * *

The fog is gaseous. Nauseating. And Adachi finds himself utterly defenseless against the sick feeling that's washed over him like a giant tidal wave. Shadow Souji gone, because Adachi can't hear the Shadow's cackles, footsteps or heavy breathing.

He assumed the Shadow had gone to taunt the Investigation Team, as he tried to take in the blurry yellow surroundings, opening his eyes.

"That's a nasty wound," Adachi nearly jumped when Souji spoke. "On the back of your head, Adachi-san."

Adachi turned to look at Souji, his eye narrowing slightly. He'd almost forgotten about his head-wound, as the searing pain had faded into numbness quite a long time ago. But that wasn't what made his eyes narrow. It was Souji's tone. Souji sounded slightly angry, as if the very sight of Adachi had infuriated him.

"Yeah, I know." Adachi replied, sounding confused. Why would Souji be angry with him? Unless…

Ah, Izanami. Adachi had almost forgotten that Souji's Shadow had decided to bring that little fact up.

"Seta-san," Adachi said, cautiously, looking Souji straight in the eye. "Just get to the point. Ask what you're going to ask."

Souji leaned heavily against the barred wall behind them, and looked straight ahead, his mouth forming into a straight, serious line. Adachi withheld the urge to laugh. Souji looked serious, as if Adachi had killed someone else and wanted to interrogate him about it. To Adachi, Souji looked ridiculous. A sour-puss face didn't suit Souji at all.

"Izanami." He whispered ultimately, lacing his fingers together behind his back. Adachi dug into the gravel.

"Ask. Go on. _Ask." _Adachi put on a strong front, still boring into Souji with his dark eyes. Souji's eyes narrowed, but he kept them straight ahead, gazing into the fog blankly, listlessly. It pissed Adachi off, that Souji, who was the only one to fully trust him first, would be perturbed by the fact that Adachi had come face-to-face with Izanami.

That simple fact, had apparently, sent all of that trust down the toilet.

And at the moment, Adachi couldn't afford to be painted as the bad guy again.

"When you sent that letter…" Souji trailed off, his eyes glazing over as if he were remembering something. "Did you know it was Izanami when you sent it?"

Adachi closed his eyes, thinking back to prison, when he had written the Investigation Team the letter that had unraveled everything. The letter that had unraveled lies and deceit, and had built a bridge to the truth. His mind fogged, and he tried to remember. Had he known about Izanami then? Or had he forgotten about her?

He remembered smiling sadly as he wrote, the dim light catching shadows on his brooding face as he sat in that dank, dinghy cell.

He had known.

"Yeah…" He muttered finally, twisting his head downwards, counting the pebbles in the loose gravel. "I remembered her. But I didn't know her name, or who she really was. I remembered after sending that letter… in a dream…" He said the last part in a whisper, as if he had remembered it on the spot.

Those last words seemed to interest Souji.

"How did you meet her? And what about this dream?"

Adachi looked through his memories, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the obvious holes in his memory. He remembered getting a drink at the Moel gas station, and speaking with the woman, Izanami, then. She had told him that the Midnight Channel showed your soul mate, shook his hand, and welcomed him.

He had had a very blurry, very indistinct dream after that.

"I met her at Moel, like you did." Adachi whispered, his fingers twisting deeper and deeper into the gravel behind him. "And I had a dream after that. One covered in fog…"

There was slight recognition in Souji's face, and he had turned to look at Adachi, to scrutinize the young detective. Adachi was staring into space, blankly, like Souji had been doing minutes before.

"I remember that dream." Souji replied, Adachi said nothing, but Souji saw the young detective's lip curl slightly. "The one with the red and black path and the voices."

Adachi nodded, listlessly.

And Souji said, his eyes narrowing as he decided to get to the real point of the conversation,

"What I really want to know is why she decided to reveal herself to _you. _I think it's pretty suspicious that the guy we'd assumed was behind the serial murders had made contact with the deity that was behind the fog. Don't you agree, Adachi-san?_"_

Adachi blushed, actually blushed, and his eyes narrowed. The same scene kept replaying in his mind, over and over and over again. The touch of Izanami's lips on his own, the painful bite, and the fact that he'd blacked out.

The fact that Souji was most likely assuming that Izanami was trying to work with Adachi to bring the fog back, however, made Adachi quite angry. And he'd voiced that anger rather eloquently,

"What? _Jealous?" _

Souji blinked, and flinched, as if he'd been slapped in the face by Adachi.

Adachi added, rather quickly,

"She didn't tell me why she came to me, Seta-san. But her help, her insight into this case has proven to be pretty invaluable. And if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be sitting next to you. I'd be dungeon crawling with the rest of your friends. Something I'm pretty glad I'm not doing."

The young detective took a deep breath, closed his eyes and continued, his voice void of anger as he attempted to restrain it,

"So, before you accuse me of something, think about it. For a second."

Adachi twisted his head to the side, away from Souji's surprised, frustrated stare.

Silently, Adachi felt the white-hot fire of anger lick at his insides.

* * *

The arm of the Shadow flew through the air and Yosuke took a quick step back, faltering slightly, his forehead beaded with sweat. He held his kunai tightly, and looked behind him, glancing at Chie who was delivering a galactic punt to one of the last Shadows. Yukiko took the rear, whacking the silver, grooved card in front of her and summoning Amaterasu, who gleamed like white sunlight behind her.

"Go! Amaterasu!" Yukiko yelled, her black hair flying wildly out behind her as Amaterasu healed Yosuke.

Yosuke took a relieved breath, feeling warm and cozy as the Diarahan spell closed up a cut he'd gotten across his shirt. It was deep, painful, but he hadn't really noticed it until then.

Across the field, Naoto faced down the final Shadow. The Detective Prince held her pistol at eye level and delivered the final, ultimate blow to the already weakened Shadow. The Shadow exploded in a mass of black, and disappeared from sight, leaving Naoto to catch her breath.

The Investigation Team moved a little further, through the forest of metal chains, past the barred walls, and into the area where the stairs were. There, the Shadows wouldn't bother them.

There, they could rest.

The Investigation Team had stayed silent through the whole dungeon, not speaking to each other save the little bits of encouragement that'd be randomly thrown around.

All in all, there was nothing to talk about.

So the team sat, silently, by the stairs, healing themselves and charging up their SP.

But a voice, an eerily familiar one, cut through the silence like a sharpened blade,

"Why don't you just turn around and leave?"

Yosuke was the first to jump up, grabbing his kunai instinctively. His head twisted back and forth, trying to search for the source of the noise. As expected, Shadow Souji was nowhere in sight.

"Is The Truth really worth this?"

Kanji gritted his teeth, holding the Snuff Soul he'd borrowed from Rise tightly, angrily.

"After all… I'm the supposed murderer, aren't I?"

Yosuke almost dropped his kunai, and his face had paled considerably. It was a stark contrast to his dark, golden-brown hair.

"So… why? Why not just leave me and Adachi to die?"

Rise's expression hardened.

"We're both to blame, aren't we?"

Yukiko and Chie exchanged worried glances, and Chie had glanced at Yosuke for a couple seconds.

"Why? Why go to your deaths for the Truth? Why not just let everything be shrouded in lies? Lie to yourself. Believe your leader was perfect, without fault. Believe that Adachi was the murderer. Believe that he was every bit the actor you thought he was."

Naoto tipped the brim of her cap low over her eyes. Her fingers trembling as they grasped the blue brim.

"Live in a fictional world, where ignorance is bliss."

* * *

He was having a laughing fit.

Their reactions, their thoughts, were absolutely, and completely, amusing.

They really had believed that Souji was flawless, hadn't they? No, believed that _he _was flawless.

How **pathetic.**

* * *

Adachi opened his eyes again when he felt… _something _in the room. It was an aura, he realized. Something dark and malicious that had entered the vicinity. It took him a couple of seconds, but he realized what it was.

"_The Shadow's back."_

Beside Adachi, Souji was looking at the fog blankly, his mouth curling into a frown of… dismay?

Souji must've noticed as well.

Adachi felt something cold crawl down his spine and he shivered, feeling slightly perturbed by the dark, angry air that had slipped through the fog. He couldn't see the Shadow, and neither could Souji, as Souji lacked the glasses he and his friends usually wore.

"They're coming," The Shadow was singing, singing a song of dark lamentation. "They're coming, they're coming, they're coming!"

Beside Adachi, Souji bit his bottom lip hard, his teeth sinking into soft flesh. His steel-gray eyes narrowed, in something akin to anger. Adachi reflected the motion, letting his fingers dig even deeper into the gravel behind him.

The Shadow was coming near them.

Shadow Souji's footsteps echoed, growing louder and louder with every step. Souji and Adachi tensed.

Adachi could see a thin sliver of darkness in the fog, shaped vaguely like a human being. He could pick out gleaming eyes, glowing despite the fog. The sliver of darkness grew and grew, and before he knew it, Adachi could pick out Souji's features.

The Yasogami High uniform jacket hung off his Shadow, whose smile was half-hidden by the checkerboard patterned collar. His shirt was rumpled, crinkled in a lazy fashion. His mouth was half-smiling, his golden eyes narrowing in an expression of pure, unadulterated malice.

The Shadow ignored Adachi, turning his full attention to Souji.

"I'm going to kill your friends in front of you, me." Souji, the real Souji, tensed. "They'll be screaming for their lives, cursing you as they fall, one by one."

Shadow Souji lifted his head, and mocked Yosuke's voice,

"_It's all your fault, partner~!" _His golden eyes gleamed. He mocked Kanji's voice now, _"You son of a bitch~!"_

Souji opened his mouth, preparing to yell at the Shadow, when suddenly, a door slammed open. The Shadow's eyes grew wide with delight as he whipped around, a large smirk spreading across his face. The yellow fog lifted slightly, and Adachi could faintly see seven figures in the distance.

"Over here!" Souji yelled, lifting himself away from the barred wall. "Yosuke!"

Adachi glanced behind Souji, and saw the handcuffs melt away into a thick black mass. Souji noticed it as well, as he lifted himself up slowly, hand braced against the barred wall for support. Souji was trembling, his legs queasy from sitting for quite a long time.

"Sensei!" Teddie called out.

Adachi felt something turn to liquid behind him as well. The handcuffs. Adachi quickly scrambled up from the floor, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

The seven figures surrounded the Shadow. Adachi could see all of them, all of the kids he'd faced in Magatsu Inaba.

The Shadow smiled, and spread his arms wide, as if he were a bird about to take flight.

"It's about time you got here!"

* * *

**Sorry if you were expecting a big fight, I'll get to that in the next chapter, so don't worry! :D**


	20. The Fool's Folly

**My hand hurts… D:**

**Final chapter of the last arc! YAYZ!!!!**

**Get ready for the second arc, you awesome people!**

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Vindicated

Chapter 20: The Fool's Folly

_I've been such a fool…_

_Thought I had it all in sight!_

_

* * *

  
_

"It's about time you got here."

Shadow Souji's arms were spread wide, as if he were a bird about to take flight. Behind the Shadow, Adachi and Souji tensed, looking at the Investigation Team, their rescuers, through relieved eyes. Adachi was the most grateful, for his doubts had been put to rest.

They really had come for them, and that realization made Adachi so happy.

The young detective felt as if a large burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He almost felt… free, happy in a way that he hadn't been for many months. His hand was braced against the barred wall behind him, fingers loosely splayed against dark metal. Beside him, Souji's fingers curled into a tight fist.

The Investigation Team - all seven other members – leaned aggressively towards Shadow Souji, holding their weapons tightly, angrily. The Shadow leered at them, his golden eyes, glowing maliciously.

The sneer crawled out his mouth, slowly, precisely,

"I was getting bored without a _real _audience." The golden eyes gleamed to the side, looking at Adachi.

"I'm so _glad _you came." The Shadow sang, letting his arms drop to his sides. The Investigation Team tensed, their eyes flicking between the real Souji, and the Shadow. Adachi glanced at Souji too, and noticed that the silverette was glaring at the Shadow, his steel-gray eyes filling with equal malice.

Adachi worried for Souji. After all, would Souji make the same mistake his friends did? He was a human being, therefore he was fallible. But then again… he was _Souji Seta, _boy wonder.

If he didn't that would be quite anti-climactic. To put it bluntly.

The Shadow whipped around quickly, almost like lightning and yanked Souji forward by his wrist. Souji grunted, and stumbled, staggering in front of the Shadow. Adachi watched solemnly, knowing what was to happen next.

This was inevitable. Imminent.

Souji glared at the shiny black loafers that were on the Shadow's feet, and slowly, painfully slowly, raised his head to meet the Shadow's gaze. Steel-gray met nasty gold. Hate met malicious delight. They mirrored each other perfectly. Covered truth and painful, released reality.

It almost made Adachi laugh.

Souji really wasn't perfect, was he?

"Did you kill…" Souji's voice hitched slightly, as if he were choking down a sob. "Ai-chan?"

It made sense, for Souji to bring that murder up first. After all, Ai Ebihara was his ex-girlfriend. A former flame. But it wasn't Souji's thought to ask that first that piqued Adachi's attention. It was the Shadow's reaction. It didn't answer, but simply smiled, smirked, and nodded. But there was something in its eyes that was… off. The golden eyes narrowed, flicked quickly to the side.

Adachi smelled a lie.

"Yeah, Souji, _me," _The Shadow answered, smiling fully now, teeth showing, shining. "She deserved to die. She tricked you. You've thought so too."

Yosuke's eyes flicked towards Souji, his face twisting. What of Saki Konishi?

Souji met Yosuke's glance, a sorry and pained look in his steel-gray eyes. He returned his gaze to the Shadow, the lines on his forehead deepening,

"Kashiwagi? Konishi? What about them?"

This time the Shadow didn't answer, simply lowering its head, letting shadows fall over its eyes. There was a smirk on its mouth however, a smirk that spelled out the answer for everyone.

Adachi smelled a lie. Another one.

"So what?" The Shadow's voice was distorted, hollow. Empty. "They deserved to die. All of them. Didn't you think so? Hm, Souji?"

The Shadow jerked its head up, something so furious and angry within its golden eyes that everyone took a step back. The Shadow raised a hand, and covered half of its face, its lips curling into a dark, shadowed frown. Adachi walked back, his back digging into the barred wall behind him.

"Yamano, Konishi, Kubo, Ebihara, Kashiwagi and _all of you." _The Shadow looked over at the Investigation Team, then back at Adachi. "You were all blights. Things that needed to be washed away for the good of the world."

"The good of the world? What the hell are you…" Kanji trailed off, lifting his steel plate in a hostile manner. His angry eyes gleamed in the dim light of the prison. The light also caught a drip of sweat that had begun running down his forehead. It ran down his pale, scarred skin, falling to the ground silently.

Souji stepped back, his fingers curling into fists.

Chie and Yukiko exchanged glances, lifting their own weapons hastily.

Naoto loaded her pistol, preparing to cock it.

Adachi glared at the back of the Shadow's head.

"The good of the world." Souji said slowly, angrily. His voice was rising, his cheeks coloring. "What point was there to _that?"_

"Don't try to lie to yourself, Souji." The Shadow's voice was rising as well. "I've heard what you've thought, what you've tried to push away. Your ideals, your desires are less than noble."

Souji bit his bottom lip, his eyes twitching guiltily.

"Don't act like _them," _Shadow Souji spat, his fingers curling in his gray hair. His golden eyes glanced behind Souji, looking at the Investigation Team. A smile contorted his lips, looking malicious and wrong. "You're not them, Souji. You're not a self-righteous _brat."_

Adachi was vaguely, distantly reminded of his own words in Magatsu Inaba, and he tensed, his fingers gripping the bars behind him tightly. He watched Shadow Souji through unblinking eyes, afraid that if he turned his gaze from the Shadow, that the Shadow would escape.

Shadow Souji grinned as the real Souji paled. Souji's fingers fidgeted anxiously, guiltily.

The teen asked, slowly, careful to choose his words,

"I'll ask one more time." He took a deep breath, his breathing slightly hitched by anxiety. "Did you, or did you not, kill them?"

The Shadow removed his hand from his face, the smile slowly fading from his lips. He was expressionless, save his golden eyes which were dancing, arching. Adachi felt sick, as the yellow fog slowly closed in around them.

"Ebihara went to the city, the day before her death. They found her ticket, do you remember, Souji? Your interrogator talked to you about it."

Souji nodded, but scowled darkly. The Investigation Team's eyes widened and Naoto held onto her pistol very tightly with bone-white fingers.

"I killed her. Listened to her scream. She has such a _pretty _scream. It was almost…" Shadow Souji tilted his head, his eyes closing lazily, as if he were remembering something very pleasant. "_Song-like."_

Souji stepped forward, but Chie grabbed his wrist. Souji looked over his shoulder, into her eyes, and Chie hastily shook her head, mouthing 'no'.

Souji stepped back, and the Shadow smiled a nasty, curled smile.

"What about Kashiwagi?" Souji asked, calmly. "And the others? What did you do to _them?"_

The Shadow said nothing, kept his eyes closed; a playful smile twisted his cheek.

"Answer me!" Souji's voice was angry, dark. He was genuinely pissed off.

"I did _nothing," _The Shadow hissed, his eyes snapping open suddenly. "I didn't _touch _them."

"Yes you did!" Souji's jaw jumped, and his eyes narrowed considerably. He yelled the final, ultimate words…

"You… you can't be… **you're not me!"**

"Seta-san!" Adachi yelled, his eyes widening as he took a careful step forward. "No!"

Souji froze; blinking slowly as he fully realized just what he had done. He lowered his head, feeling the shame and anger manifest as tears. The tears bubbled down his cheeks, and he trembled, looking almost vulnerable as Shadow Souji began to laugh.

The laugh was dark, evil, _hollow._

"That's right, _Souji," _The Shadow lifted his arms again, spreading them wide, arching his head backwards. "I'm my own person now!"

Adachi picked out several little black globs in the yellow fog. He stepped back again, his back digging into the barred wall behind him. Those globs were Shadows, thousands of them, and they were all coming towards Shadow Souji at a crawling place. Adachi reached for his pistol, and held it at eye-level, preparing to shoot if necessary. Shadow Souji tilted his head to the side childishly, smiling sickly as the Shadows began to merge onto him, attaching themselves to his pant legs, his spread out arms, his hair.

Adachi felt sick.

Souji, the real Souji, fell backwards, his steel-gray eyes rolling back in their sockets. The Investigation Team circled around him protectively, and Teddie ran forward, slicing through a Shadow before it had a chance to attach itself to Shadow Souji. Teddie crushed a card in his other hand,

"Bear-sona!"

Kamui appeared behind him, waving its large clawed hands in the air. Teddie took a step backwards, toward Kamui, and Kamui hovered protectively behind the blond.

"Adachy-baby!" Teddie snapped his head to the side, his blue-eyed gaze locking with Adachi's black. There was something else in Teddie's hand…

Something that vaguely looked like a pair of black reading glasses.

"Catch!" Teddie yelled out, tossing the pair of glasses over Shadow Souji. They unfolded in mid-air, and Adachi barely caught them.

Hesitantly, and reluctantly, Adachi put them on. His fingers fidgeting as the tips brushed against his cheeks. The reading glasses dangled at the edge of his nose but…

The area had become much clearer, as if the yellow fog hadn't existed at all.

Adachi cocked his pistol, and fumbled for the card in his hand.

"_Bishamon," _He thought, closing his eyes, blocking out the sound of the Shadows around him. _"Persona, hear my call."_

"_I art thou," _A voice, strangely like liquid velvet, answered him. Adachi smiled. _"Thou art I, thou is the one who opens the door…"_

"_I am Bishamon, god of war!"_

Adachi opened his eyes, holding the silver, grooved card between his fingers. Shadow Souji was now a shapeless black glob. Two gleaming golden orbs turned into scarlet, and Adachi ran past the vaguely human figure, standing beside Rise as he held his pistol to the side.

There was a wet explosion of crimson and black, and the entire group took a step back, Kanji holding Souji upright.

The cloud, the explosion of crimson and black began to clear, dissipating into nothing.

What emerged from it, however, made Rise gulp, her mouth parting slightly.

"Here it comes!" She said, holding the radar above her eyes tightly. "Be careful!"

Something monstrous, twisted even, emerged from the cloud of black and red. A copper hindquarter popped out of the cloud, gears turning over and over like an imitation of a machine. There was a decorative swirl above the copper paw, made of some sort of strange metal. Adachi tensed, the hand holding his pistol shaking a little. Trembling in fear.

A tail followed suit. This was also made of copper, and the tip of the tail was comprised entirely out of gears that creaked and turned interminably as the tail swept the air. Other paws, similar to the first hindquarter in appearance, also appeared, their decorative swirls gleaming in the dim light of Souji's reality.

Finally, as the cloud became nothing, the head and body became clear.

It was a wolf, with large, sharp iron teeth and gleaming eyes made of onyx. There were decorative swirls there as well, making it almost seem as if the wolf were… _smiling._

"_How does the saying go?" _The Shadow's voice hung over them, echoing against the walls. _"The wolf doesn't get meat if he fears the fog?"_

The mechanical wolf shook its head, imitating a soaked dog, and Adachi almost jumped out of his skin.

The Shadow yipped, its bark sounding extremely distorted and… robotic, even,

"_I am a Shadow! The true self!"_

Adachi took a quick step forward, standing beside Yosuke, who had frozen slightly as he realized how close Adachi was. Yosuke shot Adachi a fleeting, quick look, and his face hardened slightly.

"I don't trust you," Yosuke whispered, as the mechanical wolf settled itself into an attacking position. Adachi frowned, keeping his eyes on the wolf. "But we have to get this over with."

"I don't like you either, Hanamura-san." Adachi mumbled, loud enough for Yosuke to hear.

The look on Yosuke's face was so beautiful, that Adachi almost regretted telling Yosuke what Yosuke had really wanted to say. But, Adachi instead settled with saying nothing and moving quickly away to stand beside Teddie.

Adachi watched the mechanical wolf come to a quick shudder, and he raised his pistol calmly. Yukiko ran to the back, standing beside Rise so that they took up the rear. Naoto stood on the other side of Teddie, holding her Persona card earnestly, her eyes watching Souji's Shadow with quiet anticipation. Yosuke, Kanji and Chie stood ahead of them, taking the aggressive front.

Souji was lying on the gravel ground, behind Rise and Yukiko. As pale and still as death.

Adachi held his Persona between his fingers, and listened as Naoto shot her pistol, landing the first attack on Shadow Souji. He heard the Shadow creak slightly, heard Yosuke call out his Persona, felt the strange sensation of being strengthened.

And then it was his turn.

Flipping the silver, grooved card over in his palm, Adachi crushed it, feeling the card slip through his fingers as it became nothing.

Something strange came over him, as if he'd broken something within his mind, and he yelled, feeling… free, almost,

"PERSONA!"

Adachi opened his eyes, and watched as wisps of silver curled around him. Bishamon, in his black and white checkered glory, appeared behind him, looming over the young detective like a dark guardian. Bishamon crossed a single spiked mace over its heart, and Adachi yelled again, feeling almost… safe within the Persona's shadow,

"Brave Blade!"

The Persona passed over him quickly, almost lightning-like, and swung one mace at the mechanical wolf. Shadow Souji flinched as the spike mace came in contact with its head, and Rise, who was smiling underneath the shadow of her scanner, called out,

"Great! Keep it up!"

Shadow Souji roared, howled even, and Adachi shivered as Bishamon loomed over him again protectively. The Shadow glared at Kanji, holding the punk within its sight.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko yelled, calling her own Persona behind her. "Watch out!"

Shadow Souji leered, and swiped at Kanji, its large mechanical paw knocking Kanji to the side, sending the first-year across the room, sliding across the gravel floor. The mechanical wolf whipped around, this time howling at Adachi himself,

"Magarudyne!"

Adachi held his hands over his head as wind whipped across his face, his clothes. The others were in a similar position, save Yosuke, who was apparently immune to it. Adachi felt his jacket whip out behind him, his hair being blown back. A gust of green wind swiped at his face, making a small, but deep cut across his cheek. Adachi hissed, grabbing his cheek tentatively.

He opened his eyes again, watching Teddie as the blond kid crushed his own card in his hand,

"Go Kamui!"

A round white, and sharp-clawed Persona emerged from behind him, and Teddie flung his bear claw exaggeratedly, dramatically,

"Bufudyne!"

Shards of ice collected in the air, all heading towards the mechanical wolf, and were flung through the air, smacking Shadow Souji across the face. However, the mechanical wolf was smiling, and the attack seemed to have not affected it at all…

"It drains ice!" Rise yelled out, as Teddie groaned. "So don't use that!"

Teddie nodded and Adachi removed his hand from his bleeding cheek. He stared at the little pools of blood on his fingertips with slight disgust, a small frown twisting his cheek.

Behind him, Yukiko began to heal those who had also suffered in the wake of the Magarudyne attack,

"Mediarahan!"

The cut across Adachi's cheek began to heal, though he was slightly surprised that Yukiko would waste SP on him. After all, he wasn't exactly the most damaged by the attack. Yosuke jumped forward, smacking the card in front of him with one of his kunai,

"Persona!"

Susanoo appeared behind him, hair looking as if it were on fire, and Yosuke yelled out, holding his kunai high in the air,

"Garudyne!"

The same green wind that had attacked them now swiped at the mechanical wolf. Shadow Souji flinched heavily, falling and collapsing on its side. It was still alive though, as the gears in its limbs still turned interminably, making creaking noises as they moved at a faster, more erratic pace. Yosuke jumped from one foot to the other, and said, quite calmly,

"Now's our chance! You ready?"

He looked at everyone, even Adachi, for an answer. All of them nodded, and Adachi found himself running towards the fallen enemy, shooting almost blankly as the Shadow attempted to stand again.

Adachi stared down the barrel, and took a careful shot at the Shadow's head, watching with delight as the head of the Shadow soon became marred by bullet holes, dents and gaping cuts. He stepped back with the rest of the group as the Shadow scrambled to its feet, yipping angrily at the group.

The mechanical wolf crouched, like a cat stalking its prey, and swiped its paw at the air,

"Agidyne!"

Flames sparked from the swipe, heading towards…

Adachi.

Adachi grimaced as the fire lapped at his cheeks, his face, and his hair. It hurt. A lot. So much so that Adachi barely held in a scream, but his arms went up to his head, trying to block the flames from getting to him. Adachi fell backwards, feeling Bishamon crouch over him protectively as he lay there, in pain.

"Adachi-san!" Rise proclaimed, her voice echoing across the room. Adachi thought it sounded faraway, but he picked himself up off the floor, attempting to block out the sudden ringing in his ears. Black tugged at the corners of his vision, and he could feel a burning sensation across his cheeks.

Adachi crushed his card again, and yelled out, with as much strength as he could manage,

"Debilitate!"

Beside him, Naoto smiled gratefully. The Shadow shook its mechanical head, as Debilitate began to lower its strength, its defense.

Naoto crushed her own card, and a small, very cricket-like being emerged from behind her. Naoto tipped the brim of her cap low over her eyes, and screamed,

"Yamato-Takeru! Megidola!"

Adachi didn't even see this attack happen. Everything around him turned white, and he heard an explosion that sounded slightly distant. The white faded, and Adachi saw something that shocked him.

The Shadow had reverted back to its human form.

The fight was over…?

Naoto seemed to have thought this suspicious as well, as she yelled to Chie, who'd run forward,

"Wait, Satonaka-senpai."

The Shadow was crumpled on the floor, breathing heavily as he scrambled to stand up. The Team raised their weapons, as Chie backed away, watching the Shadow with a sad expression.

"Don't you…" The Shadow trembled, shaking as he struggled to stand. His voice was hoarse, broken. "Don't you… don't you idiots… get it?"

The Shadow fell to its knees and it tried to stand again, mumbling angrily,

"You… you all can't be… this stupid!" It sounded more as if the Shadow was attempting to comfort itself, rather than yelling at the group.

"Enough!"

Souji's voice made Adachi let out a sigh of relief. The gray-haired teen stumbled beside him, and glared at the Shadow maliciously, angrily. The Shadow was half-kneeling, and its head snapped up to glare back at Souji. A sudden smile spread across Shadow Souji's face, and Adachi felt something cold crawl down his spine.

"Enough already. Enough." Souji ordered, gripping Adachi's shoulder for support. Souji panted, looking worn and tired as he glared at his Shadow. Shadow Souji's eyes glistened, as if it had thought Souji would deny him again.

Souji stumbled forward, walking past the Investigation Team, not even sparing them a glance. A frown marred the silverette's mouth, making harsh lines cross his forehead. The Shadow started chuckling slightly,

"Go on, go on, Souji… deny me! Go on!"

"Shut up." Souji's voice was sharp, angry.

For lack of better wording, Souji sounded _pissed._

But Souji's anger fueled the Shadow's delight, and the grin spread across its face. Souji visibly shivered, and his face hardened. He said, in a tone that expressed unrivaled anger,

"I know what I've thought. I know my ideals were dangerously close to what Adachi's _supposedly _were. I didn't care about them, and I tried to ignore _you,"_

The Shadow's grin instantly faded, and there was a hint of panic in its golden eyes.

"But I cannot ignore you. Especially since I no longer have my Persona."

Adachi blinked, and remembered. Souji didn't have Izanagi-no-Ookami, did he? And… they had never discovered the answer to why he didn't. After all… what being would possibly influence Souji's possession of Izanagi-no-Ookami…?

Adachi's eyes widened as he realized.

Izanami.

_"What happened to Magatsu Izanagi and Izanagi-no-Ookami?"_

_"Do you really think that the gods of truth, would help two people who couldn't distinguish between lie and truth? Do you?"_

_"I had given power to people who could brave the hollow forest that was human intentions. That power weakened. You abused it, Namatame refused it, and Souji was able to keep a small percentage of his power. Because he had used it correctly."_

Adachi frowned. He had been an idiot. His Shadow had appeared because Izanami's power, the power she had given him, had weakened. And thus, his original Persona had dissipated. The same, had no doubt happened to Souji as well.

The Shadow's silver eyebrows stitched together, and stiffly, it nodded.

"Souji, this isn't over… trust me." Shadow Souji sounded desperate, as something silver began to pool at its feet, drenching its shiny black loafers.

"Of course it isn't. You never answered my question." Souji said flatly, calmly.

"And that would be…?"

"Kashiwagi and the others, who killed them?" Souji dipped his head slightly. "Was it you… or someone else?"

The Shadow was as silent as still waters. It smiled, and suddenly, exploded into silver light. Souji groaned, rubbing his forehead. Adachi now noticed how pale Souji looked, and how dark the rings under the silverette's eyes were.

The silver light faded, revealing a long, white-cloaked figure that loomed proudly over Souji.

Izanagi-no-Ookami.

"_Thou art I," _Its voice was deep, melodious. _"I art thou. Thou are the one who opens the door."_

And suddenly, Souji fell backwards, passing out from the day's events.

Adachi stood stock-still, nibbling at the scab on his bottom lip.

* * *

**Oh My Freaking…**

**I've finally finished it. :D First arc is do~ne~~!**

**Hey, when I first played Persona 4, the day after, it was really foggy. Isn't that just the creepiest coincidence? I had just finished beating Yukiko's Shadow, and I thought that it was just so… creepy! xD Though, it was pretty awesome.**

**My wrist is going to take a nice, long break. :D **


	21. A New Dawn

**And thus, Arc 2: Bang Bang, has begun. :-]**

**This is a little bit of an intermission chapter, just to wrap things up a bit. After all, we've gotta fix things with Nanako! :D**

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Vindicated

Chapter 21: A New Dawn

_I'm not a killer…_

_I'm just killing your doubts!_

_

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_April 20__th__ 2012_

Souji's arm was slung across Adachi's shoulders, as he leaned against the younger detective for support. Souji exhaled sharply, the little cuts across his face bleeding slightly, dripping onto Adachi's black jacket, leaving darker drops in their wake. Adachi ignored the revulsion that crawled up to his throat, instead opting to swallow it. After all, Souji had just gone through something quite traumatic. It would do no good to act… weak.

Adachi and the Investigation Team were all leaving the electronics department silently. No one said anything. It was an awkward silence, one that Adachi was loathe to break,

"Seta-san is going to need to go to the hospital." A trickle of blood leaked out of Souji's cuts, dripping onto Adachi's left shoulder. "He's awfully beat up."

Behind Adachi, Yosuke nodded stiffly, and replied flatly,

"We all need to go back to the hospital…"

"Nana-chan deserves an explanation." Teddie had cut Yosuke off, looking up at Yosuke, his blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Nanako-chan…" Chie whispered, half to herself, and half to the group that had turned to look at her. "What if she… still hates Souji-kun after this?"

"She… she _can't…" _It was Rise who spoke this time, so softly that Adachi wasn't sure it was really Rise who spoke. But her lips had moved, and her eyes were wide with fear. "She… we have to tell her that it wasn't Senpai!"

Adachi saw Souji as the silverette opened his eyes slightly. He'd been listening, as Adachi could see Souji's sad gray eyes, focused on the little white table ahead of them.

Souji stated, his voice sharp, yet slightly sad,

"A burnt child dreads the fire."

Everyone looked at Souji with both surprised and forlorn expressions. They all felt bad for him, but did not bother to give their encouragement. They all literally didn't know what to say. Mainly because they themselves were uncertain about Souji and Nanako's familial relationship. After all, Souji was correct. After what Nanako had gone through, she very well could've decided that Souji was extremely dangerous. She could've decided that staying away from her cousin would keep her out of danger.

Adachi worried for Nanako. Would she believe whatever explanation the Investigation Team happened to pull out of their asses?

Souji didn't seem to think so.

"I doubt she'll still like me, even if you do happen to think up a good explanation."

"Seta-senpai…" Naoto's voice was distant and she looked at Souji with a slight frown. Her fingers curled around the brim of her hat, and she pulled it low over her eyes. Although the Detective Prince tried to hide it, she too, sounded worried. Naoto no doubt had the same idea as Adachi.

Honestly, _would _Nanako believe whatever explanation they gave her?

"Hey," Adachi interrupted. Slowly, everyone turned to look at the detective. Yosuke was notably looking down purposefully, refusing to meet Adachi's gaze. "We _really_ need to get Seta-san to a hospital. We can go over all of this later. There are some things that have been left… unanswered."

Adachi said the last word hesitantly, reluctantly. There were many things that were unanswered, loose ends that had been left unnoticed. But with Souji as beat up as he was, the Investigation Team wasn't exactly inclined to do an immediate investigation. They needed to wait.

Naoto nodded, and confirmed, her voice still bearing worried tones,

"Indeed. As Souji-senpai's Shadow said, this is not yet over. I am inclined to believe that there are… worse things ahead." Naoto looked downward, her eyes narrowing.

Beside Adachi, arm slung over the detective's shoulders, Souji tensed. Had he remembered the Shadow's warning as well? Did he think it to be as haunting and worrying as it had sounded?

"_Souji, this isn't over… trust me." _What had the Shadow been implying?

Was there something else they, the Investigation Team, weren't seeing?

Adachi felt Souji sag slightly against him, and the silverette took in a sharp, painful breath. Naoto had looked up, her face expressionless, her tone flat as she confirmed,

"I agree with Adachi-san. At the moment, what matters is that we get Seta-senpai to a hospital."

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko balled her fists up.

Adachi noticed, that as they began heading towards the hospital, Souji in tow, that dawn had broken. There was a lining of pink and gold on the horizon, just above the roofs of Inaba's skyline. It was… beautiful, almost.

It was almost… nice, comforting to think that this was a new dawn for the group.

* * *

Somewhere, the tall man chuckled quietly.

* * *

The hospital was deathly quiet, like someone had died, like the time Nanako had slipped from the living.

Souji was curled, twisted up in a hospital bed. They'd been smart enough to separate Souji from Nanako, as the Investigation Team was very afraid that Nanako wouldn't believe them. They had gone off to go talk to Nanako, leaving Adachi and Souji in the room alone. Adachi pulled out a chair and sat by the side of the bed, staring at Souji's rigid, tense back. A worn copy of _Witch Detective _was lying on the little table beside the bed, begging to be read. (Though Adachi had heard bad things about the ploddingly written vampire story…)

Souji had his back to Adachi. The teen stared out the little, dreary hospital window through glossed over eyes, picking out lights in the fog-blurred city. (The fog had set in almost immediately after they'd huddled into the hospital, eerily enough.) Bandages, gauze, were taped onto his cuts, and the nurse that had come in had wrapped the matted wound in the back of Souji's head like a turban, giving the poor teen a slightly… odd appearance.

That same nurse had also stitched up the back of Adachi's head as well, and the young detective was very grateful that he hadn't felt a thing. It was creepy, however, to attempt to scratch the back of his head and feel five little pinpricks. Adachi had, eventually, cut himself from that habit. Though he was itching to do so right now. The silence between him and Souji was just too awkward.

Souji shifted, twisting the bed sheets tighter around him. Adachi jumped a little at the sudden sound, and shot Souji a dark look.

"Souji-kun." Adachi whispered, he clutched his knees with damp palms. The silence had become too awkward, too… weird.

The teen tensed a little, but didn't turn to face Adachi. He was still staring out the dreary window, picking out the morning light in the fog-blurred town. A few seconds dragged into a minute and then,

"Yes, Adachi-san?"

"It's going to be all right. I mean…" Adachi scratched the back of his head, flinching and scowling as his fingers brushed against the stitches. Damn it. "Your friends will think of something-"

"You sure about that?" Souji hadn't meant it as question, that much was evident.

Adachi scowled, his fingers tightening on his knees. There was something annoyed in his tone when he retorted, shaking his head,

"Yeah. I am sure, actually. Shirogane's smart enough to make sure they don't screw this up."

Souji let out a small, sharp snort. He buried himself deeper into the covers, and looked vaguely like a giant, cream-colored cocoon. Adachi watched him expressionlessly, nibbling on the little scab on his bottom lip. Distantly, he thought of Izanami.

Adachi shifted a little in the metal hospital chair. And Souji flatly stated,

"True. But Nanako isn't stupid. She'll put the pieces together, somehow."

"So you're just going to give up on being her cousin? Huh, Souji-kun?" The response had come out of Adachi's mouth before he could think. This time, Souji froze, and Adachi thought that he had paled visibly. Quickly, the young detective added, stuttering,

"O-Oh, sorry I didn't mean to be cruel…" He lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head, but stopped midway, and settled with lacing his fingers together, and nibbling at the scab on his lip.

Souji turned over, and now faced him. Steel-gray eyes met black, and Adachi had the vague feeling that Souji was staring into his soul, and looking him over. Souji's stare was so… _intense._

Yikes.

It was also extremely creepy.

"Who said I would give up on my cousin?" Souji's eyes flashed with something slightly angry, fiery. "Who said I would be so cowardly as to turn my back on my family?"

Adachi felt as if he had poked the sharp stick where it hurt. Accidentally of course. He didn't know what got Souji riled up, didn't know what made the fearsome, merciful leader tick. And ever since he'd opened his eyes to the truth, he hadn't wanted to know.

A monster might've continued to jab at Souji's weak spot, but Adachi was not a monster. Or so he'd convinced himself long ago, when his Shadow had shouted the truth at him.

"I said I was sorry." It was a weak apology, but Adachi had meant it. "Listen, just trust in your friends. Okay?"

Adachi stood up, the metal chair scraped behind him. Souji was biting his lip now, and looking down at the table with sad eyes. Adachi turned on his heel, and opened the door anxiously.

"Adachi-san."

Adachi stopped, fingers splayed against the doorknob.

"Thank you."

Adachi turned again, and watched as the world washed into sepia. Letters, silver and curling, twirled in the air above Souji's head.

_Thou art I…_

_I art thou…_

_Thou hast established a new bond…_

_The Fool Arcana._

Smiling, Adachi replied,

"You're welcome, Souji-kun. See you soon."

As Adachi left, he heard Souji proclaim,

"We have a mystery to solve, Adachi-san. I'll try to get better as soon as possible."

* * *

The Investigation Team was huddled outside Nanako's room. As silent as the hospital's halls. Distantly, they heard the sound of footsteps, of brown loafers and quiet breathing. Out of the corner of his eyes, Teddie saw Adachi walking away, quickly and stiffly down the hall. The young detective was smiling slightly, and Teddie smiled as well.

Had Adachi talked to Teddie's Sensei?

The Shadow directed his eyes back to the clock he'd been watching. The time ticked closer and closer to noon, and none of the Investigation Team members had the balls to face Nanako. They'd been standing in front of her room for a good half-hour but the words just couldn't – or wouldn't – come to mind.

In truth, they were all afraid of shattering what was already broken. They were afraid of destroying, completely destroying Nanako's trust in Souji. Yosuke and Chie had left earlier, because Yosuke had needed to talk to someone. And, surprisingly, Chie had volunteered.

So that left the rest of them. Teddie, Naoto, Kanji, Yukiko and Rise. And not even Naoto was able to summon up the guts to face Nanako.

If the Detective Prince couldn't do it… if _Kanji_ couldn't do it…

"Guys…" Rise's voice hitched, and Teddie saw her bite her lip. "We need to get this over with. For Senpai, for _Nanako-chan."_

Kanji adjusted the gakuran around his shoulders. Naoto pulled the brim of her cap low over her eyes. Yukiko brushed her hair with her fingers nervously. Teddie's shoulders tensed rigidly. Rise was the only one out them that looked brave, her brown eyes glimmering defiantly in the dim light of the hospital.

It was almost ironic to see that Rise was the one with the guts. It was sad however, to see the Investigation Team's courage quelled by such a horrid task as this.

Rise stepped forward, and opened the door to Nanako's room.

Nanako was awake, sitting up actually in the hospital bed. There was a get-well card on her lap, one that was from, surprisingly enough, Adachi, judging from the harsh strokes and messy manner. Another one was on the bed beside her, obviously from Dojima. There was something else in Nanako's lap, something red and flower-like and Teddie realized that it was… the carnation that had fallen off his shirt when they'd first went after Souji's Shadow.

Unconsciously, Teddie placed his hand on the place where his carnation once was, and frowned sadly.

Nanako was staring out the hospital window, looking out at the fog-blurred town with expressionless eyes.

When the door closed behind them, Nanako's head whipped around, her eyes growing wide with shock. The shock flickered, and Nanako smiled at them, almost sympathetically. Teddie felt something stab at his heart. Closing the get-well card from Adachi with small fingers, Nanako mumbled,

"'Lo."

That single word made almost everyone cringe inwardly. The words became lost in the air, and Yukiko, very ineloquently, said,

"H-Hi, Nanako-chan… um… can we… talk to you?"

The smile faded, and Yukiko almost instantly felt like a douche bag.

"Amagi-senpai…" Kanji grunted, pulling the gakuran around his shoulders tighter around him. His white-blond hair shimmered slightly, and Yukiko had taken to staring at the top of his head, until the white became smear-like, unfocused. Yukiko had turned red around the ears, feeling as if she had messed everything up.

"Y-Yes…? This isn't about Big-" Nanako caught herself, her voice lowering slightly, pathetically. "This isn't about my cousin, is it?"

Naoto looked up, still trying to pull the brim of her cap even lower over her eyes. She looked vaguely pathetic, and nothing at all like the cool, calm detective they had all perceived her to be. Here, in the midst of something intimate, Naoto's Sherlock Holmes complex seemed lost, as if it'd slipped through her fingers like water.

"Nanako-chan." Naoto started, her voice trembling, shaking slightly. "I… we have reason to believe…" Kanji glanced over at Naoto, as if not believing that the Detective Prince was actually getting tongue-tied. Naoto closed her eyes, looking distantly embarrassed as she stood there, in the middle of her friends.

"Nana-chan."

Naoto's eyes opened and she glanced over at Teddie, who had stepped forward. Everyone turned to look at him, save Naoto who was staring down at the floor, biting her lip. Though, there was a relieved look in her eyes.

Nanako looked over to Teddie, her eyes looking shocked and betrayed.

"Nana-chan… the guy that took you… wasn't Sensei. It was someone else…" At the last few words, Teddie narrowed his eyes slightly. "We got him though. He was… holding Sensei, keeping him locked away."

Nanako blinked, and asked, slightly confused,

"Like in a castle? Is… he a princess?"

Yukiko turned beet red and said,

"N-No, not like that!"

Nanako nodded, then turned to the red carnation that was beside her. Picking it up, and holding it in a small, delicate hand, Nanako asked, tears forming on the edge of her eyes,

"Is this true… Teddie? It wasn't Big Bro?" Nanako had said the last two words so quietly, that everyone had to strain their hearing to hear.

"Yeah, Nana-chan." Teddie grinned, both relieved and happy at the same time. "It's the truth!"

Nanako looked down, and rubbed at the fake petals on the carnation. She replied, in a whispered tone,

"I believe you… thank you."

Nanako began to cry, a smile spreading across her face.

Teddie leaned forward, and hugged her.

Behind Teddie, everyone had begun to cry as well, though Kanji had tried to hide his tears and was looking away.

* * *

The fog was thick outside.

Thicker than blood, thicker than pancake batter.

Adachi couldn't see three feet ahead of him, yet he still somehow managed to navigate the way back to his house. From muscle memory, no less! Adachi had his hands in his pockets, and every now and then, he found himself humming, a smile spread wide across his face.

Sure, the mystery may not have been over yet, but they'd discovered many things. And there were hints everywhere.

The letter, the police badge, the Shadow… and the unsolved mystery of how Kashiwagi, Yamano and Konishi all died. After all, the Shadow only said that he'd killed Ebihara…

Everything else was shrouded in the fog as the buildings around Adachi.

As shrouded as the persona standing in front of Adachi's apartment.

Adachi stopped dead-smack in the middle of the Shopping District. There, in front of his apartment stood…

None other than Izanami.

The goddess was staring up at the sky, her white robes pooling around her like white waves, rippling ominously in the air. Eerily enough, there was no wind. But, she was a goddess.

Adachi stared at her lips, and unconsciously blushed and nibbled at the scab on his bottom lip.

He stepped forward, then stopped, when Izanami's voice rang out around him,

"Good morning, Child Of Man."

The fog hugged everything around him, smothering the buildings, the sky. Choking the color out of everything. As Izanami walked closer and closer towards him, everything blurred into the indistinct color of smeared gray. The fog was thickest where Izanami was.

"The…" Adachi began ineloquently, quizzically. "The fog…"

"The fog is back, yes." Izanami replied, standing in front of Adachi, locking eyes with him. "The fog has returned to Inaba, to the Midnight Channel, choking the truth out of everything. Smothering it with lies, with blissful ignorance."

Adachi's face hardened, and he looked deep into Izanami's ruby gaze. The kiss that had sent him into the TV slipped from his mind as he asked,

"Is this your doing? I need to ask that now, before you disappear."

"No."

"That kiss…" Adachi felt a blush creep onto his cheeks. "What did you do?"

"I sent you into the Midnight Channel. Nothing more, nothing less."

Though Adachi wouldn't admit it, he felt slightly disappointed when he heard those last few words. He opened his mouth to say something, but Izanami cut him off,

"I am on your and that child's side in this, Child Of Man, no, Adachi-san," Izanami's expression did not falter. "But I will not tell you who it is. Or why they have brought the fog back to this place."

"Why not?" Adachi crossed his arms. "You're not exactly helping us much by doing that."

"Am I not allowed to have secrets?" She quirked an eyebrow, her eyes flashing slightly. "Do not forget that you are arguing with a Japanese deity, Adachi-san. Mind your mouth."

"Yeah, well excuse me if I think that's a bunch of bullshit."

Izanami walked closer, coming nose-to-nose with Adachi. Adachi subsequently, blushed, but was trying to force it back down. He didn't want Izanami. At all.

"I said, mind your mouth."

A second later, Adachi found himself pushed backwards by a large, explosive force. He skidded across the street, and closed his eyes. Opening them, he saw that Izanami was walking towards him again.

"You had a call, a couple of hours ago," She started, holding out a hand to help Adachi up. He refused it, pulling himself up off the pavement, red with embarrassment. "A call from the high-security prison in Tokyo."

Adachi stopped mid-way of brushing gravel off his jacket. He paled. The high-security prison in _Tokyo…?_

_Kataki. _He'd come to the conclusion himself just as Izanami said,

"They said your father had requested a meeting with you. Kataki, I think his name was?"

"Anything else?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"They asked if you would come in on the 1st of May."

"And if I don't want to go?"

"I suggest you do." Izanami whispered. Adachi looked up.

There was something in Izanami's red eyes that made Adachi shiver.

"Fine. I'll go. I don't want to, though."

* * *

**HATE THIS CHAPTER.**

**Anyway, the real things in this Arc will get rolling with the next chapter. See ya guys then!**


	22. Misery Loves Company

**100 REVIEWS!!!! *Pulls out big-ass cake***

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! :D Especially CrimsonButterfly94, who was my 100****th**** reviewer! *Hands you an e-muffin***

**Anyway, we've got a time-skip here. xD I don't want to bore you guys to tears waiting for Adachi to go meet up with his 'wonderful' dad.**

**Haha, sarcasm. How I love sarcasm.**

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* * *

  
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Vindicated

Chapter 22: Misery Loves Company

_Oh, don't you know that Misery Loves Company?!_

_Yeah, I heard that misery was looking for me!_

_

* * *

  
_

_May 1__st__ 2012_

_11 Days after the events at the hospital_

Adachi adjusted his tie, surveying himself in the closet mirror. Izanami was sprawled out behind him on his bed, tangled within her white robes and picking out designs in his bedroom's ceiling. He tried to ignore her, and busied himself with finger-combing his messy hair and making it at least a little neater. A task which apparently seemed impossible.

"You are actually going to visit your father in that place?" Izanami asked, turning over on her side to watch Adachi as he ran his fingers through his hair. His hairbrush had been… misplaced. "After all, those children were going to meet up with you at Junes to discuss the case."

Souji and Nanako had both been sent home from the hospital yesterday, much to the Investigation Team's joy. Adachi glanced back at the goddess, loosening his tie with his fingers as it had been tied awfully crooked. She watched him through ruby eyes.

"Well, I'm leaving them a note. I mean, I can't exactly not visit my father so…" He shot the piece of paper on his cluttered wardrobe a pointed glance. Rolling out of Adachi's bed in a tangle of white, Izanami walked over to the mahogany wardrobe and picked the paper up, studying it with scrutiny. Adachi turned back to the mirror, and threw his tie into the closet, cursing it under his breath.

Izanami placed the note back on the wardrobe, turned around and leaned against it. Her fingers were braced against the edge of it, tapping out some unknown song.

"I want to go with you when you come back. Those kids know I'm still here, after all."

Adachi turned fully from the mirror, shooting the goddess an incredulous glance, as if he really didn't believe that she had just suggested such a thing.

"You said you wouldn't help us." He said, ultimately, glancing at the rain that was peppering down on his bedroom window. Izanami shrugged, leaning further into the wardrobe. She replied, in a cutting voice,

"It doesn't mean I cannot watch you all try to piece the broken truth together."

Adachi walked towards her, and pulled the letter off of the cluttered wardrobe. Izanami turned around and Adachi distantly realized how much shorter she was then him. The top of her head barely reached his chin. Yet, at the same time, he felt much smaller than her; as if he were a bug and she were a hungry, ravenous cat.

That thought made Adachi's stomach churn.

"_Weak." _Bishamon whispered; its voice as smooth as liquid velvet.

"Yeah, well," He groped for the doorknob behind him, watching Izanami as she looked out the rain spattered window as well. "Don't expect a nice reception."

He opened the door and shut it, but he heard Izanami's vague reply as he walked down the hall…

"I wasn't expecting one."

Izanami had been visiting Adachi frequently ever since he came home from the hospital eleven days ago. Although it was slightly unnerving to know that he had a goddess stalking him, it was nice to have her around most of the time. Though she quite often wore on his nerves with her distant replies and vague words, Adachi had decided that, at her core, she was trying to be helpful.

Though she wasn't really helping anyone get any new leads.

The truth was still shrouded in fog. And everyone was back to square one.

He had said long ago, back when he was still the goofy detective, _"If there'd been a fourth kidnapping and murder, we'd be back to square one."_

Oddly enough, his words had rung true months later.

Grabbing tape off the desk in his living room, Adachi went outside and shivered as a wave of chilly wind exploded past him. It ran through his weed-whacker haircut, and chilled him to the bone. It was an oddly cold day in May, as if the transition between spring and summer hadn't yet happened. Though, pulling his jacket around him tightly, Adachi hoped Mother Nature would speed it the hell up.

And make it stop raining, as the idea of the fog returning again made him very jumpy and anxious.

Quietly, and happily safe from the rain, Adachi taped the letter to his door, reading over it to make sure it explained where he had gone, why he had gone, and when he would be back. There was also a hastily scribbled apology in the margin, which Adachi had forgotten to add when he was actually writing the letter.

"_Shirogane will know." _He thought blankly, stepping back to lean against the bike rack in front of his apartment. _"She can explain. After all, the Adachi Murders were every criminologist's dream come true. She'd know about them."_

Straightening his tie again, Adachi pulled out his train ticket to Tokyo and ran a hand through his messy hair.

Silently, he thought about ripping the train ticket to shreds.

* * *

"_Did you hear?"_

"_What?"_

"_There's a rumor going around that if you stare in front of a mirror at midnight, you can speak with the dead."_

"_Like a family member?"_

"_Yeah! I'm gonna try and talk to my grandma!"_

* * *

Nanako was leaning against Souji's chest, half-asleep on the couch with him. They both had finally left the hospital, and were now at home, nestled on the couch watching old soaps and movies. Dojima was at work, apparently without Adachi as Dojima had called the young detective a few colorful words that morning. (With Nanako out of earshot, of course.)

Nanako worried about her dad, Adachi-san and her Big Bro.

Souji worried about the case, the days of school he'd missed and the ton of homework he was no doubt going to have.

Souji was going to discuss the case after school with the rest of the Investigation Team and Adachi, and, try as he might; he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by Adachi.

After all, Adachi had known all along about Izanami, and was even being helped by Izanami. Souji had reason to doubt the young detective. Though he didn't want to. Adachi had been incredibly helpful so far.

"Big Bro?" Souji felt Nanako's mumble against his shirt, and he was yanked from his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

Nanako leaned closer against Souji's chest, hugging him. She whispered, words that sounded so very sweet and kind,

"I'm sorry for thinking you were the bad guy."

Souji didn't know what to say to that, but he smiled and hugged Nanako tightly anyway.

* * *

_Fingers brushed against glass. The girl's bathroom was silent, occupied by only a single girl._

"_What an odd rumor…"_

* * *

"They'll be wondering where I went."

"Shut up."

The puppet promptly quieted, and solemnly watched as the tall man scribbled things down in a legal pad. A second fake badge stuck out of his pocket, and though the puppet tried to read the name that was on it, the name was hidden by the folds of the tall man's beige overcoat.

The puppet opened their mouth to speak but thought better of it, and stared to the left, watching the edge of the alley carefully; as if afraid someone would see them there.

"The Shadow is dead." The tall man said flatly, and the puppet was jerked from his thoughts. The puppet now watched the tall man as he scribbled furiously in the legal pad. Gleaming eyes moving back and forth as the words appeared on the legal pad in dark, angry black ink.

"Am I next or something?" He asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"Your part has not come into play." The tall man crossed a sentence out, angrily. "Not yet, at least."

The puppet narrowed their eyes.

"A game of chess requires pieces," The tall man explained slowly, glancing at the puppet. "So pieces I shall gather."

* * *

Ah, Adachi hadn't breathed in air this polluted in months.

He walked amongst the hustle and bustle of Tokyo blindly, completely surrounded by thousands of people with briefcases and well-ironed suits. Once, Adachi would've felt at home in the craziness of Tokyo's morning hours. But, after spending almost a year in Inaba, in the countryside, Adachi felt quite out of place.

A few busy-bodies must've thought he was out-of-place as well, because he caught one of them glaring at him and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'country bumpkin.'

Nah, he must've just been imagining it.

Adachi pushed himself past the crowds and approached the most secluded building in Tokyo City. Its high-security prison. It was a large building, that looked eerily like an asylum surrounded by fences of barbed wire. Even looking at it gave Adachi the creeps.

It'd been a while since he had to visit this god-forsaken place.

Nearly five years, to be exact.

And not once, did Adachi like visiting the place.

Slowly, almost zombie-like, Adachi walked into the prison building after showing his badge to the guards at the gates. ("That bastard's son? No way!") An escort had to go in with him, and make sure he didn't get killed. (Because apparently, cages and cuffs didn't keep killers away from the visitors. Seriously, what were they, sharks?)

Distantly, he heard a few prisoners chuckle as he walked by with the escort.

"_Hehehe, Kataki's son, ain't he?"_

Adachi felt his fists clench at his sides.

"_Kataki's been a-waitin' for ya!"_

He closed his eyes.

"_Poor kid! 'Magine havin' Kataki for a dad."_

He tried to imagine punching Dojima. That always calmed him down.

"_Tch, he's a cop, too."_

Finally, he and his escort reached the cell farthest left. The escort pulled a set of keys from his pockets and opened up the cell door. Slowly, so creepily slowly, Adachi walked inside and the jailer closed the cell behind him with a loud, final clang. Adachi stared at the ground, and felt tears gather at the edge of his eyes.

"Hey kid."

Adachi stared at Kataki Adachi's feet and frowned.

"What are you, a crybaby?" A pause. "Tch, pathetic."

"Shut the hell up." Finally, Adachi raised his head. Kataki was sitting in a chair, hands handcuffed behind him. He looked nothing at all like how Adachi had remembered him. Kataki had always been so clean about his appearance, and it was strange to see the man before him.

Kataki still looked like him. Way too much like him. Had Kataki's eyes been yellow, you could've almost said that Kataki was Adachi's Shadow. But Kataki's hair was different. It was long, past his shoulders and scraggly, unkempt… upon closer inspection; Adachi realized that Kataki's hair was slowly growing into dreadlocks.

Disgusting.

"Ooh," Kataki whistled, and his black eyes glittered in delight. "Little Tohru-kun's grown a pair, talking back to his old man like that."

"I said shut up. I meant it." Adachi retorted, grabbing the chair that someone had put out for him. He took a seat, feeling the spoke of the chair dig into his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes, and watched Kataki with bated breath.

Kataki flipped his hair over his shoulders, and smiled. The smile wasn't pleasant, kind, familial. It was a smile that reminded Adachi way too much of that fateful night, eleven years ago.

Fire, smoke and Ouji's dead body flashed behind Adachi's eyes. Darker, angrier lines etched themselves into his forehead.

"Tsk tsk, Tohru-kun." There was the slightest edge of insanity in Kataki's tone. And it made Adachi shiver. "What's the point of having a conversation with my _son _if I 'shut up'?"

"I don't want to have a conversation with you. I don't know if you know this, but I don't like you. You were a shitty father."

"Still am." Kataki's smile spread wider across his face as he replied. He leaned forward, as far as his handcuffed body would let him. "You were a shitty son." He whispered quietly. Adachi laced his fingers together tightly in front of him, and narrowed his eyes.

"Is that supposed to be an excuse?"

"An excuse for what? Justice? Putting my own goddamn son through hell?" Kataki giggled hollowly. "Yeah, guess you can say it was an excuse."

Adachi's eyes narrowed and he stared directly into Kataki's face. Black eyes mirrored his own.

"I heard you've been getting into trouble lately." Kataki whistled again, and his eyes gleamed with an emotion akin to pride. "Getting transferred to some backwater town, murdering a few girls, and then turning out to not even be the murderer. Not to mention they put you on the case."

"Guess you know my mistake then?" Adachi hissed.

"Ah, who wouldn't?" Kataki shook his head, smiling smugly to himself. "But that's not _nearly _as interesting as the whole murder thing. Not nearly. Not even close."

"Get to the point."

Kataki's smile faded, as quickly as it had appeared. There was something harder in his eyes, something colder. Adachi glared at him, and a dopey, drunk smile tugged at his own lips.

"I want to hear about the murders." Kataki said, whispered finally. Something silent spread out between Kataki and Adachi.

Seconds passed.

"Why?" It came out as a choked, strangled word. The smug, drunk smile slowly faded from Adachi's lips. The temperature went down five degrees in the little prison cell.

"Sounds interesting. This place is extremely _boring. _And I've got nothing to _do."_

Adachi laced his fingers together tightly.

* * *

_I wonder if that rumor is true…_

_It's not like the Midnight Channel is it?_

_The girl washed her hands, the running water echoing throughout the girl's room._

* * *

The entire Investigation Team stood outside Adachi's apartment, crowded around Naoto who was quickly reading the letter Adachi had left. Her eyes moved back and forth, scanning the hastily and angrily written page. Everyone was crowded around her, reading the paper over her shoulder.

"Well that explains why he wasn't at the police station." Naoto said, tucking the paper into her pocket. Souji nodded, remembering Dojima's angry mumblings that morning.

"Hey, didn't he say that 'Naoto-kun can explain everything'?" Rise pouted slightly, crossing her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Adachi-san was referring to the case his father was involved in." Naoto replied sharply, tipping the brim of her cap low over her eyes. "The Adachi Family Massacre."

"No wonder the dude's got problems." Kanji muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Can't say I blame him."

"Hey," Chie piped up suddenly, and everyone turned to her. "I think I heard about that… oh! It was in the book I got from the book store!" Chie turned to look at Souji. "There were details about all the right things the detectives did in that case in that book! About how they knew when to bring in their key witness…"

Chie cocked her head to the side, and furrowed her eyebrows, "They didn't say who that key witness was though. Which I thought was weird 'cause the whole case was awfully detailed."

"It was Adachi-san himself." Naoto said, smiling at Chie fondly. "He saw the whole thing unfold."

"Yikes." Chie winced, as if slapped in the face. "That case was awfully gruesome. Kinda like the Trial Of The Dragon II. It was really… eurgh."

"Hey," Teddie spoke, blinking as if he'd just noticed something. "Where's Yosuke?"

"He told me he was sick today." Souji answered, nodding at Teddie. "And he didn't turn up for school."

Naoto sighed, and shook her head,

"Shall we discuss the case tomorrow then? When everyone is here?"

The other six nodded and all prepared to leave when a voice cut through the air,

"Ah, I was wondering when you would all get here."

A girl, a woman, dressed in a familiar orange and white gas station uniform was leaning against the fire escape, tipping the uniform cap low over her ruby-colored eyes. She smiled, rather fondly, at Souji.

"Iza…" Rise's voice whispered a name the entire Investigation Team thought they would never hear again. "Izanami!"

* * *

"Prison is supposed to be boring." Adachi stated plainly, flatly. He avoided Kataki's sharp, cold gaze. "So annoying shits like you don't go around killing more people. So you can die in here quietly."

He's telling that half to himself and half to Kataki. The memories of Magatsu Inaba blur together in his mind, he can see the colors. Black, red, black, red, gray, yellow.

"Now, now Tohru-kun," Kataki smiled again, wisps of salt-and-pepper hair fell in his eyes. "Mommy wouldn't want you talking to your old man like that."

"Don't talk about Mom." Adachi hissed, and his face contorts grimly, angrily. The innocuous façade is gone. The things he's always wanted to tell Kataki jump to his mouth, and he tries to bite them back. "Ever. You have no right."

"Tch. What a disappointing piece of crap you turned out to be." Kataki spat, pulling against his handcuffs. The tinge of insanity returned to his face. Adachi leaned back in the metal chair, and watched his father apathetically. The temperature in the cell grew colder, and the tension became as thick as Inaba's fog.

"Why did you even want me to come here?" Adachi asked, as the seconds began to tick by. "If all you're going to do is insult me."

"It's been five years since you last visited." Kataki pouted falsely, hollowly. "I've missed your visits, Tohru-kun."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Adachi jumped as the jailer banged his nightstick against the cell bars.

"Hey! Visiting time's up."

Adachi stood, shooting his father a final, shriveling glare as he left.

"Tohru-kun."

Adachi was just outside the cell, and the jailer was locking it up. Kataki smiled, a real smile, and said,

"Misery loves company. Remember that."

* * *

"Chess pieces?" The puppet sounded confused.

"This is a game of wit. Of skill." The tall man crossed out another sentence on his legal pad. "Our Bishop* has died, so we shall procure a Knight."

"What am I, in this game of yours?"

"Ah, that's for me to know."

* * *

_They say that if you look into a mirror at midnight, whisper the name of the dead person you wish to speak with five times, you can speak with them._

* * *

"Izanami!" Rise spoke one name the Investigation Team thought they'd never hear again.

The woman in the gas station uniform smiled, removed her hat, and let her silver hair catch the light of the day. (It had stopped raining a few hours ago, much to everyone's relief.) Her ruby eyes twinkled with delight, and the entire Investigation Team bristled, clenching their jaws.

"Good afternoon, children of man." Izanami said flatly, bowing slightly. She held the hat she'd removed over her heart formally, smiling.

"So… it was true." Souji stated, his voice nothing short of a whisper. "Adachi-san said you had returned."

"Yes, indeed." Izanami shot him a fond glance. "I have given him my support in his search for the truth behind truths."

"Are you the cause of the fog!?" Chie yelled, stamping her foot on the ground. "Is this your fault again!?"

Izanami shook her head, the gleam in her eyes dimming darkly. "No. This is not my fault."

"Whose is it then? Huh?!" Kanji snarled, pulling the school gakuran around his shoulders. Trying to make himself even bigger than he already was.

Izanami put the Moel cap back on her head, letting the shadows shield her eyes from view. "I cannot tell you."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?!" Kanji growled, shooting the goddess a threatening glare.

"Kanji-kun." Naoto said sharply. Kanji glanced at her, scrunched up his face and stepped back, spitting on the ground.

Izanami tipped the brim of her cap lower over her eyes. Scowling.

"I have shown myself to you as an offer of assistance. I wish to help."

"You've already helped," Souji replied, shooting Kanji a withering look. "According to Adachi-san, at least."

Izanami smiled, her eyes giving Souji an expression of thanks and relief. "Yes. Though I have certainly pulled him around, attempting to help him." Something dark, deep, almost like a blush painted itself across her cheeks. It was barely noticeable. But Souji noticed it. And he wondered how Adachi had _really _gotten that scab on his bottom lip…

"We will see you tomorrow." Izanami said, ultimately. She smiled, her eyes gleaming again. "Until then, farewell."

And she disappeared, in a whirl of mist and fog.

* * *

As Adachi left the prison building behind, walking past the barbed wire fence anxiously, he noticed something else that looked out of place in the busy Tokyo streets.

A fortune-telling stand.

It was a very gaudy looking stand, covered in mystic purples and golden symbols. An equally gaudy-looking girl was standing behind the stand, shuffling a deck of Tarot Cards. Her black hair stuck out in all directions, obviously gelled into such a manner, and her fingers were adorned with several odd-looking rings.

Adachi found himself approaching the stand, as if drawn to the mystic aura it produced.

"Five-hundred yen a reading." The girl said as he approached, her odd green eyes twinkling. She was very young looking, yet had a voice that was raspy with age. "No more no less."

Pulling his wallet out from his jacket, Adachi handed the girl a five-hundred yen piece, noticing that his wallet was now very empty, save the bit of money he had left for the train ride back home. The girl's fingers brushed against his as he handed her the piece.

The girl shuffled the Tarot Cards, and Adachi noticed that they looked suspiciously like the cards he'd seen in the Velvet Room.

"A single card I shall pull out," She said, smiling. "One for what awaits you this month."

She broke the deck, and shuffled them. Finally, she pulled a card from the middle of the deck. The card was face-down, and the fortune-teller ran her fingers over the card. She flipped it over, and Adachi saw two lovers being engulfed by a whirlwind of fire.

"The Devil, in the reversed position."

Adachi glanced at the woman and nodded, waiting for her to explain.

"Be wary of those in your past, as they shall attempt to blur the truth from your eyes."

Adachi snorted, wished for his five-hundred yen back, and left Tokyo behind.

He fell asleep on the train, angry that he left his novel home.

* * *

_Yumi Ozawa leaned forward, her nose touching the mirror's glass._

"_Aizawa Ozawa, Aizawa Ozawa, Aizawa Ozawa, Aizawa Ozawa, Aizawa Ozawa."_

_The mirror began to distort, and with wide eyes, Yumi leaned even further in._

_She screamed as two hands burst forth from the glass, weaved fingers through her hair, and yanked her into the mirror._

* * *

"Have you found your Knight?"

"Yes."

* * *

***Bishops are also called 'Fou' in French. This translates to 'The Fool'. A nice touch seeing as Souji's Arcana was the Fool.**

**I can't remember if Yumi's dad's name was ever directly stated. So I named him Aizawa. xD**

**Kataki Adachi is a dick. Nuff said.  
**


	23. Dead On Arrival

**I got Harvest Moon Animal Parade.**

**It took over my life.**

**But I made time for this too. xD**

**

* * *

  
**

Vindicated

Chapter 23: Dead On Arrival

_Quoth The Raven…_

"_Nevermore."_

_

* * *

  
_

The blood pounded in his ears.

The sound of people screaming, someone calling his name, filled his ears.

Gravel brushed against his cheek, and Adachi realized that he was lying on the ground. On a street. His eyes fluttered open, and Adachi felt his breath hitch in his throat. The fog was everywhere around him, covering the street, covering the buildings, the homes. But the fog didn't blur the sight of what was in front of him, mirroring his position.

For the first time in eleven years, Adachi stared into the blank eyes of Ouji Adachi. Ouji was dead, pale, silent. Ghastly even. Adachi saw his reflection in Ouji's blank eyes, and he realized he was frozen as well.

For Adachi had never wanted to run away so much in his entire life.

He couldn't move anything. His fingers refused to curl, his legs were as stiff as logs, his eyes stung from being open too long. Distantly, the sound of screaming grew louder, and someone called out Adachi's name,

"Tohru!"

His _mother?_

Adachi felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach, and bile rose in his throat. He tried to look everywhere but at Ouji's dead, pale face. But it seemed his vision was frozen as well.

Amongst the sounds of screaming, Adachi heard another voice. One that was tinged with insanity, one that leaked anger and hate.

One that Adachi had grown to rather dislike.

"Gorgeous, ain't it?" Adachi was now trying to pointedly stare into Ouji's eyes. Trying to avoid the sight of Kataki Adachi. But it seemed Kataki had other plans. Adachi heard Kataki pause in his steps, kneel, cast a shadow over Ouji's face. Viciously, angrily, Kataki clenched Adachi's jaw and yanked his face towards him, digging his dirty fingernails into Adachi's cheeks.

Long, shaggy bangs hung in Kataki's face. Dark, black eyes gleamed like red-hot coals. A drunk grin tugged at the corners of Kataki's face, revealing yellowed teeth.

"The Devil," Kataki's tone took on a more… mystic sound. "In the upright position."

Kataki reached into his jacket and pulled out a card. Two lovers were entwined together on the card's design, engulfed in a whirlwind of fire. More screams erupted around Adachi.

Suddenly, it felt like it was just him and Kataki and the card.

Kataki performed a wrist-snap, like a cheap, fake performer and three other cards appeared in his raised hand, with The Devil behind the new cards. Adachi squinted, and realized that he had _seen_ those cards before.

In a dream of ultramarine.

"And don't forget these." Kataki warned, digging his fingernails even deeper into Adachi's cheekbones.

"The World, The Magician and Justice."

Adachi tensed, and suddenly, his arm shot up, clenching around Kataki's wrist. Adachi twisted his arm away, releasing his face from Kataki's grip.

"Don't touch me!" Adachi hissed, pulling his other arm back, curling his fingers into a tight fist. His other arm shot forward, and Adachi heard a sickening crack rip the air as Kataki's jaw broke underneath his punch. Adachi jumped to the floor, gasped, shivered and watched as the Tarot Cards in Kataki's hand began to twist in the air.

The World…

The Magician…

Justice…

The Devil…

"Adachi-san." Adachi jumped and whipped around, leaving Kataki's body on the ground.

Izanami stood there, cradling Ouji's body in her arms. She was stroking Ouji's jaw-bone, whispering something archaic and song-like under her breath. Adachi felt Kataki's fingers curl around his ankle, and a shrill scream erupted from somewhere distant. The fog became thicker, clouding the area where he, Izanami, Kataki and Ouji all stood.

"Iza…" Adachi couldn't bring himself to say her name. He stuttered, sighed, and felt Kataki's grip tighten on his ankle. Kataki wheezed, but Adachi ignored him.

Izanami looked up, locking eyes with Adachi.

"It's time to awaken."

_Pi pi pi pi pi pi pi!!!!_

* * *

_May 2__nd__ 2012_

The sound of his jarring ringtone made Adachi jump, groan and then pull his bed's comforter over his head. However, the comforter was soon ripped back off of him and sent to the floor beside his bed, pooling at Izanami's bare feet. Blindly, Adachi groped for his phone on the nightstand, ignoring Izanami as he flipped open the phone and held it to his ear, face half-sunk in the pillow.

"'Lo?" Adachi mumbled, half into the pillow and half to the person on the phone.

"ADACHI!" Dojima's angry voice was a definite wake-up call. Adachi winced, and tipped the phone away from his ears, burying his face into the pillow. Izanami chuckled slightly.

"Sir?" He tipped the phone back by his ear, and sat straight, rubbing at his eyes. Why the hell was Dojima calling him? It was six in the morning wasn't it…? Adachi glanced out the window past Izanami and felt his fingers freeze.

It was noon.

"Adachi!" Dojima was yelling gruffly. "It's one in the afternoon! Where the hell have you been!? If you're at Junes again buying things again I swear I'll…" Dojima sucked in a deep breath and Adachi winced again. Somehow, he could already feel a bump in the back of his head begin to grow.

Unconsciously, he scratched the back of his head, smiling at the fact that the stitches had finally healed up.

"S-Sorry, Dojima-san." Adachi replied, as innocuously and jovial as he could manage. "I overslept."

"Look, forget it, okay?" Dojima sucked in another breath, as if trying not to scream at Adachi. "Takano came in with another body. Yumi Ozawa, seventeen."

The phone almost slipped from Adachi's fingers.

"A…" It was Adachi's turn to take a sharp breath. He glanced at Izanami, who watched him knowingly through ruby eyes. "Another… body?"

Izanami glanced away, frowning.

Dojima sighed, "Yeah. Shirogane and Takano are going over this with me. Get down to the station as fast as you can. And by fast, I mean right now."

Adachi listened for the click of Dojima hanging up on him, and the incessant beeping noise the followed afterwards. Seconds passed… then minutes and finally…

Adachi closed the phone, and put it back on his nightstand. Izanami stood there, looking at him knowingly, solemnly.

"There was another killing." Adachi confirmed slowly, hesitantly.

"I know." Was Izanami's solemn reply.

"But… it makes no sense…" Adachi crawled out of bed, standing beside Izanami, looking out the window, at the empty streets. "We've been checking the other world; we've been watching the Midnight Channel."

"Indeed." Izanami said shortly, nodding. "The Midnight Channel has broke?"

"You'd know." He hissed sharply, pushing past her to grab his clothes from his closet. Izanami stood to the side, back pressed against the wall as she silently watched Adachi dress, tie his scarlet tie, and walk past her to snatch his phone up from the nightstand.

"Adachi-san." She crooned, making him stop at the doorway of his bedroom. He didn't turn to face her, and there was something so incredibly painful in the way he contorted his face that Izanami knew he was thinking about something. Something serious, something that Adachi didn't want to think about.

"Ask yourself this," Adachi's fingers clenched tightly around the doorknob. He flinched. "How could this Ozawa girl have died when you saw nothing on the Midnight Channel? How does the Midnight Channel work?"

"We…" Realization struck over his face. "_I _don't know."

"You are not alone in this, child of man." Izanami lilted, nodding. "You can all piece together the truth."

And with that, Adachi left.

* * *

Naoto Shirogane was just as perplexed as Adachi. She browsed through the autopsy reports, making an immediate link to both the first Inaba murders, the second ones and the newest one, the death of Yumi Ozawa. It made absolutely no sense, however. The Investigation Team had all been diligently observing the Midnight Channel, and for this to happen…

Naoto shook her head, and leaned back in the chair in her office. There was a logical explanation for everything, she had told herself. But she knew full well that they, the Investigation Team, hadn't just _looked over _this.

She also pulled in the fact that it hadn't fogged at all. Yet the murder had happened, and Yumi Ozawa had been found hanging from the roof at Junes. (Much to Yosuke's disgust.) This single fact was what confused Naoto the most.

"_Perhaps another copycat killing?" _She lifted up the autopsy report again. _"No. The cause of death is still listed as unknown."_

"_There must be something we've overlooked. There has to be."_

Naoto frowned, scanned the autopsy report again, and removed her hat. Placing the cap on her lap, she ran a hand through her messy blue hair, wondering what the hell could've possibly happened. Behind her, the door to her office opened and three people slowly filed in sluggishly.

"Shirogane." Dojima asked gruffly and Naoto turned around in her wheeled chair to face them.

Adachi, Takano and Dojima all stood there, watching Naoto.

Naoto and Adachi locked gazes, and Adachi nodded stiffly. He knew then.

"Yumi Ozawa," Naoto began, crossing her legs in the chair. "A seventeen-year-old girl who was actively participating in Drama Club. She died mysteriously, and was found early this morning hanging from Junes' roof. Notably, in a similar position to the last four victims in this case."

"Do you think it's a copycat killer, Shirogane-san?" Takano questioned her, holding a clipboard under his arm. "After all, Ozawa didn't die on a foggy day."

Adachi's gaze flickered towards Takano. Adachi had wanted to know the answer to that question as well.

"No." Naoto affirmed quietly, putting her cap back on her head and adjusting it so it cast a neat shadow over her eyes. "The copycat killer, Mitsuo Kubo, killed Kinshiro Mooroka by causing a severe head wound from a blunt weapon. Whoever killed Yumi Ozawa, and the four victims before her, did so with the same method."

They went on like that for quite a while, with Adachi and Naoto exchanging looks every few minutes. They would need to go over this with the Investigation Team.

Because only they would be able to make sense of this.

* * *

Souji shut off the water in the boy's bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Red rings encircled his steel-gray eyes, and they felt vaguely puffy, swollen from all the crying he'd done. He clenched the sides of the sink with both hands, and stared at himself in the mirror.

Yumi Ozawa was dead.

Distantly, he thought about all the times he'd gotten irritated with her because she wanted to whine about her father. Distantly, he thought about all the times he'd ignored her calls because he just didn't want to speak to her.

Distantly, Souji hated himself for not being there when Yumi needed him. He hated himself for not being able to save her.

"Senpai."

Souji jumped and looked at the entrance to the boy's bathroom. Kanji stood there, looking at his senpai sympathetically. It was odd, to see such a tender expression on Kanji's face. It didn't fit him.

"Yosuke-senpai told me you ran out of the 'sembly hall." Kanji pulled at his shirt collar, adjusting the jacket around his neck. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Souji turned back to the mirror. He was telling that more to himself, than to Kanji. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Bullshit." It came out as a whisper. Another first for Kanji. "Don't be a dumbass, you ain't okay. Even I know that."

A small, vague smile tugged at the corners of Souji's lips. Kanji sure knew how to lighten the mood.

"Wash your face," Kanji pointed out, Souji glanced at him. "It helps. Trust me."

Silently, Souji smiled and turned the sink back on.

* * *

"_Things are heating up." The puppet said into the phone, lightly. Sharply. "Seta doesn't have the guts for this."_

"_True." He heard the tall man reply. "But none of them do."_

_The puppet's eyes narrowed._

"_Your 'Knight'," The puppet took on a more questioning tone. "What about him?"_

"_He has freedom dangled in his face like a tasty carrot. He's more loyal than the Shadow, I can tell you that."_

* * *

The Knight touched the grungy mirror with his fingers.

They dipped into the mirror as if the mirror were made of water. The glass rippled, gleaming with thick white stripes.

A drunk smile tugged at The Knight's lips.

"In-ter-est-ing." He sang.

* * *

"It doesn't make sense Naoto-kun." The second both Adachi and Naoto had left the little circular police station, Adachi had opened his mouth. (After flinching at the sudden burst of light from the too-bright sun.) Naoto tipped the brim of her cap low over her eyes, leering slightly as the sun beated down on her as well.

"It has nothing to do with the Midnight Channel," She said finally, hurrying over to the sidewalk with Adachi tagging behind her, a cup of coffee in hand. "Of that I'm sure."

"What makes you think that?" He asked, speeding up to keep in sync with her long strides. "Well, despite the obvious." He scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously as the last sentence left his lips.

"The obvious being the fact that Yumi Ozawa never showed up on the Midnight Channel?" Naoto shot him a sidelong glance, slowing her pace down on the sidewalk. They were in no hurry. The walk from the police station to Junes was a short one. Naoto was simply anxious.

"Uh… yeah, sure."

Naoto bit the corner of her lip, looking down slightly as she contemplated. After a few seconds of slightly awkward silence, she spoke up again,

"The Midnight Channel is a 'window' that caters to what people want to see about others. If we want to know about people, they appear on the Midnight Channel and are subsequently killed by their other selves." She paused, glanced at Adachi. Adachi nodded.

"However, Yumi Ozawa was never a person of interest among the residents of Inaba and thus did not appear on the Midnight Channel." She paused again. Glanced down. Thought. "The Shadows kill them on foggy days. Yumi Ozawa was not killed on a foggy day."

"True." Adachi replied, taking a small sip from his coffee cup, flinching. Too hot.

"So… Yumi Ozawa's death does not meet any of the requirements for the Midnight Channel."

"Accurate." Adachi's tongue scalded, burned. And he scrunched up his nose slightly.

For a second, Adachi let his mind wander as he and Naoto spent the rest of the walk to Junes in silence. His mind passed over Izanami, and getting her from his apartment to go with him to Junes. Slightly, his cheeks burned in embarrassment. Knowing the Investigation Team, he was no doubt going to be interrogated about Izanami. A thought that he was loathe to think about. His mind skimmed over the list of groceries he needed to get later.

Cabbages, coffee, sugar, bread, instant.

Cabbages, coffee, sugar, bread, instant.

Cabbages, coffee, sugar, bread, instant.

Cabbages, coffee-

His thoughts flicked towards the dream he had. Ouji's dead body, Kataki's yellowed teeth, the Tarot Cards, Izanami's archaic singing… the images passed through his mind, molded together randomly.

Adachi's grip tightened on the coffee cup, his upper lip curled into a slight sneer.

Naoto left him, making a straight bee-line for the food court. She would be the first one there, as school had a few minutes left. She nodded slightly as Adachi continued down the street to his apartment, cup of now cold coffee in hand.

Unsurprisingly enough, Izanami stood outside his apartment, leaning against the bike rack, garbed in her usual disguise. She was looking at the sky, her lips curled into a small frown.

Frowns didn't suit her.

Adachi tossed the coffee cup in the garbage before walking over to her, arms stiff at his side. She paid him no mind, didn't turn towards him, but she did say,

"Hello, child of man."

At least she acknowledged him.

"Izanami." He sounded much more confident than he did in his dream, and this morning.

"I apologize for this morning." She whispered, as if saying it took a chunk out of her pride. "I realize now that involving myself with your investigation, with your search for the truth was perhaps not a good idea. Humans are too… proud. I can see clearly that you do not want my help."

"W-What?" Adachi blinked, and his voice rose slightly. "What gave you that idea?"

"Would you rather I left?" She asked, ignoring him. She turned now, staring him straight in the eyes. He felt naked somehow, as if everything had been stripped from him by Izanami's red-eyed gaze. It was as if she was looking into him, searching for the naked truth by stripping away all his facades, his personas, his lies.

"No." His eyes narrowed, he tried to make himself appear taller, bigger. Like a cat to another cat. "You help."

"Even if I left you wouldn't be alone." She pointed out, tipping her Moel cap over her eyes. "The truth can still be piece together even if I leave."

"You won't leave." There was a commanding edge to Adachi's tone, and his fingers curled into fists. "You wouldn't dare."

"Are you giving me orders?" She hissed, glaring. Adachi shrunk, and flinched slightly. "I don't have to do what you say, human."

"Please stay, then." Adachi took a step forward. Izanami took a step back, fingers splayed loosely across the bike rack. "I-I… you owe us all an explanation for not disappearing when Souji destroyed you. You owe me an explanation for not ever giving me a straight answer. You owe us that much."

"Owe you?" She tilted her head downwards and gripped the bike rack rail tightly. "I owe you all nothing. I stay around because I feel obliged to."

"Really?" He took another step forward. She took another step back."Is that why you woke me up from my nightmare? Is that why you teleported me into the Midnight Channel using a dirty trick, so I could save Souji-kun? Is that why you've stayed around this entire time, and made sure I never strayed away from finding the truth?"

Izanami took in the corner of her lip and bit it, though Adachi didn't really see the motion. It was hidden by the shadows of her Moel cap.

"Fine." She replied, lightly, sharply. "I'll stay. But I will never tell you the truth. I've sworn that."

"O-Oh…" Adachi blinked. He was almost positive that she was going to explode. "Okay then!"

The world ran out of color, sucked in by something that Adachi couldn't see. Silver letters twirled above Izanami's head.

_Thou art I…_

_I art thou…_

_The World Arcana has reached Level 3._

"_Y'know." _A little crease appeared in-between Adachi's eyebrows.

"_That's begun to get a little annoying."_

Silently, Izanami joined Adachi on the walk back to Junes.

He could tell that he and the Investigation Team were going to have a long, boring talk.

Probably about more things than the case.

* * *

**D:**

**Too much talking.**

**Long case talk next.**

**Special thanks to DemonRaily, for suggesting I do something with mirrors. You're awesome.  
**


	24. Interrogations And Theories

**Happy belated birthday, Adachi! :D**

**

* * *

  
**

Vindicated

Chapter 24: Interrogations And Theories

_Mirror Mirror on the wall…_

_Who's the fairest of them all?_

_

* * *

  
_

Kanji and Souji jumped out of their chairs when they saw Izanami, sending the chairs scraping across the tiled floors of Junes' Food Court. Yosuke had paled slightly, and he shot Izanami a look of pure, sudden and unadulterated fear. Adachi imagined what it must've looked like to them, seeing their two once greatest enemies standing before them, undefeated.

"I assumed the Shadow wasn't lying when he insinuated that Izanami had returned." Naoto said sharply, Souji glanced at her, fingers clenching the armrest of his chair. "It appears I was, in fact, correct in this notion."

"Indeed." Izanami replied, as cool and casually as possible, flicking her Moel cap up slightly. Her ruby eyes gleamed slightly as they caught the dying rays of the sun and Adachi glanced at her, his muscles tensing slightly, bunching up even as the seconds began to stretch into minutes.

The awkward silence was unbearable.

"Well!" Teddie huffed, grinning, and breaking the silence none-too-casually. The Investigation Team turned towards him, and Teddie pulled off the most lecherous act Adachi had ever seen.

He _sparkled._

And it was, oddly enough, not fake.

"I'm so happy you're on our side, Iza-chan!" He tipped his head to the side, and the sparkles flickered in the air, gleaming like tiny constellations. "A friend of Adachy-baby's is a friend of ours!"

"It would be wise to refrain from calling me by such an inane nickname, Shadow."

Adachi felt the urge to inch away from Izanami. He tensed even more, and paled, a drop of sweat trickling down his face.

"Huh? B-But I like the name Iza-chan!" Teddie gave her the puppy-eyes.

The _puppy-eyes._

"Ted…" Yosuke grumbled, shaking his head. "I swear, you'd greet the devil himself if you could."

"Yeah," Souji chuckled slightly, nodding at Yosuke. "He could call him Satan-chan."

Teddie blinked, Yukiko burst out laughing, trying to cover her mouth with her hand and stifle her giggles. Chie let out a long, irritated sigh and shook her head, stuffing her hands in her green jacket.

"Senpai…" Naoto spoke, pinching the bridge of her nose irritably. "Please refrain from giving Teddie ideas."

"S-Satan-chan?" Kanji looked extremely puzzled and perplexed. "The hell that come from?"

Izanami and Adachi exchanged glances. Very annoyed, very disturbed glances.

_These _were the kids who were responsible for saving Inaba?

"H-Hey," Adachi interrupted, and everyone turned to him. The air became much more serious, and Teddie had even stopped grinning. "We've… probably got a lot to explain…" He nodded towards Izanami, who in turn tipped her Moel cap over her eyes.

"Then explain." Souji stated flatly, watching Adachi through cool, steel-gray eyes. Adachi felt vaguely as if Souji were staring into his soul, as if peeling away Adachi's skin, and looking for something. Had Souji begun to not trust him?

"Ask." Was Adachi's quick reply.

* * *

"_Yumi Ozawa, Noriko Kashiwagi, Ai Ebihara, Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi."_

"_What do they all have in common?"_

"_A direct link to the three."_

* * *

Izanami and Adachi had both taken a seat at the little picnic table they'd _both _seen the Investigation Team sitting at, discussing the case that had involved both of them. The groups were divided, almost like an interrogation, as Izanami and Adachi both sat at one end of the table and the Investigation Team was all crowded on the other end, watching them, looking for any indication they were lying.

They wouldn't find any with Izanami; Adachi had hardly seen any sort of emotions cross her face. Ever. With him, however… Well, actually… he was a good enough actor wasn't he?

"The note you sent us, when you were in prison. You said when me and you were in LockDown that you knew of Izanami while you wrote that."

Izanami shot Adachi a curious glance, as if had become something suddenly interesting, like a shiny toy. Adachi nodded, but felt his hands twitch underneath the table.

"After I wrote it, I was sitting in my cell when it came to me. Her name. I remembered talking to Izanami when I first came to Inaba and she told me about the Midnight Channel. But… I had already sent the letter…"

Adachi glanced down sheepishly, becoming suddenly fascinated by his twitching hands, his trembling fingers. Izanami tipped her head to the side slightly.

"Oh!" Chie spoke this time, and everyone turned to her, Adachi had lifted his head to look at her. "What about what Souji-kun's Shadow said, about her teleporting you into the Midnight Channel! How does that work?"

Adachi blushed, and looked down at his hands again, licking his lips. The scab had finally, miraculously healed but…

"I kissed him." Izanami replied flatly, as if it were something that hadn't mattered. She didn't seem to be particularly fazed by it at all. In fact, when Adachi sneaked a glance at her, he noticed that her face was completely void of emotion.

But that wasn't what mattered right now.

Adachi felt his soul leak out of his ears, and turned red, like darkened tomatoes.

Yukiko started giggling, stifling her giggles with a delicate hand. Souji looked surprised, and blinked slowly, carefully. Rise grinned, and Teddie tipped his head to the side looking slightly confused.

"Yosuke! What's kissing!? Oh! Is it like 'scoring a hot stud'?"

"It's a game you're not going to be playing, Teddie." Souji replied sharply, smiling slightly. He was staring at Adachi, as were the rest of the group, and Adachi had suddenly become hypnotized by the bowl of soba in front of Chie.

Yukiko stopped giggling and shot Teddie a very angry, very sharp glare,

"Okay, enough with the scoring thing! Seriously!"

Izanami cocked a silver eyebrow, and looked slightly perplexed.

"S-She kissed you?" Rise was stifling her own giggles, and a strange grin was swept across her face. She looked vaguely ridiculous, and not at all like the Rise Adachi had seen on the Calorie Magic commercials. Not one bit.

In fact, her charm wore on his nerves in real life.

"It was the only way to catch him by surprise. I can easily say that Adachi-san did not consent." Izanami said, with a slight wave of her hand, as if waving off the surprise around the group. Adachi sneaked another glance at her, and thought,

"_Oh, you have no idea."_

Naoto gave a slight cough, her face coloring ever so slightly. She looked flustered, perhaps even angry that the original conversation had gotten off track. She stated, her voice flat and business-like, like her voice usually was, when it came to investigations and the like,

"Could we please go back to the original point of this meeting?" There was something surprisingly sharp in her tone, and she looked at Adachi, her blue eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "Why has Izanami been helping us? What is her motivation?"

"Her Modus Operandi?" Adachi asked, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "None, really. She's not helping us… but she's helping us as well, if that makes any, um, sense."

"It doesn't." Naoto retorted sharply, needle-like. "Elaborate, if you will."

Adachi opened his mouth to speak, but Izanami cut him off,

"I know who it is, but I cannot say." Izanami looked down at Naoto, almost playfully, as if inviting the Detective Prince to play a game with her. "I have made sure that Adachi-san has not strayed too far from the truth. I have made sure that he does not become a wayward child of man."

Naoto turned her piercing blue eyes to Izanami, and stared at the goddess, bold-faced in the eyes. Blue locked with red, and the tension in the air seemed to thicken, like fog almost. Naoto nodded, after a few seconds, and commented,

"I see."

Everyone around them breathed out. Relieved.

The tension died.

"The case." Souji broke the sudden silence, and everyone glanced at the silverette. "We need to talk about…" His breath hitched slightly, and he closed his eyes before finishing. "Yumi."

There was something in Souji's face that passed quickly, like uncertainty, or doubt. Adachi regarded him carefully, wondering what kind of relationship _this _victim had to Souji. After all, didn't the killer or killers, seem to be targeting people Souji knew, or at least had a small connection with?

But then Adachi's thoughts flickered towards Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, and he quickly tossed the theory away and tucked the two women out of his thoughts.

Souji's face looked broken, shattered, and Adachi caught Naoto giving him a vaguely sympathetic look as she folded and unfolded her hands in her lap. Adachi had almost hissed at her,

"_What do you know about it?!"_

Then, Naoto whispered, almost pitifully,

"Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, Noriko Kashiwagi, Ai Ebihara and Yumi Ozawa. What do they all have in common?"

"_A connection to Souji-kun." _Adachi had wanted to say, but didn't, as he caught a glimpse of Souji's sad face. No one said anything. And Adachi had supposed that they either knew what he knew, but didn't say anything, or really couldn't think of anything.

"Well," Chie spoke up, tipping her head to the side. "For one, they're all women. But… um…"

"_That too."_

"Considering past events…" Naoto replied, turning towards Chie, a sharp-edged look in her eyes. "I highly doubt it. There has to be some form of motivation."

"Misogyny, Naoto-kun." Adachi commented, nodding in Chie's direction. "But I agree with you. I highly doubt that the killer is targeting girls. No… I think this is a message." The last part, that had come out of nowhere, as if Adachi had just thought of it.

"A message?" Yukiko cocked a delicate eyebrow, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder. She looked quizzically at the young detective, something sharp-edged in her look as well.

Adachi nodded.

"Like… someone's testing their power. This death was so out of character that-"

"Don't forget about my Shadow." Souji cut him off. "He died, or disappeared, so naturally, it would be out of character, wouldn't it?"

Adachi locked eyes with him and nodded, adding,

"True. So does this mean there's… someone else?"

He hadn't thought of that.

Rise spoke up, grinning,

"Oh! Like another killer?"

Adachi wrung his hands under the table, and watched as Naoto tipped her head down, her dark blue eyes narrowing in contemplation. Strangely, Adachi could imagine the cogs in her head going around and around and around, as she sorted Rise's theory out.

"Do you remember what Souji-kun's Shadow said? 'This isn't over.'"

"So?" Kanji was the first to comment. "What's that mean?"

"Oh, I get it." Adachi said, and everyone turned their heads toward him, sending them their undivided attention. Even Izanami had begun to pay attention.

"You think there wasn't a single killer to begin with, don't you, Naoto-kun?" Adachi offered, waving his hand slightly towards her. A smile spread underneath the shadows of Izanami's Moel cap. Naoto smiled as well, and replied slowly, calculatingly,

"Indeed. There are things here and there that are… strange. The Shadow's actions suggest more than one killer, and I have reason to believe that Souji-senpai's Shadow was nothing more than a pawn in a larger game of chess."

"We're missing something." Souji said suddenly, and everyone now looked at him. Souji grimaced, hiding his steel-gray eyes under a fringe of even steelier hair. "The Midnight Channel. Yumi never appeared on it. The image wasn't sharp or blurry or whatever. There just wasn't an image."

Teddie stood up straighter, grinned his foolish, strange grin, and lilted,

"Oh! Oh! Sensei! Teddie thinks that there's something weird in the Other World! I almost forgot about it but…" Teddie glanced at Rise sheepishly. "Rise-chan gave me this delicious stuff called tofu and I kinda… forgot about it."

"Ted…" Yosuke groaned, wiping his forehead and shaking his head. "Geez."

"Something weird?" Souji asked, interest evident in his voice. "What is it, Teddie?"

Teddie placed a hand under his chin, and twisted his lips slightly, making it look almost as if the blond were pouting. He gave Souji a strange look, a contemplative look, and replied, his voice hitching slightly,

"I… don't know how to describe it, but it seemed like the Other Side was a little… off. Like there was something there that wasn't there before."

"Something there that wasn't there before?" Adachi repeated, cocking his head to the side. "…huh."

Naoto stood, and for the first time, Adachi noticed that the sun had long since disappeared, and that evening had taken over.

"I think that's all for today. Shall we meet tomorrow?" Naoto said finally, looking around at everyone.

"Yes." Was the Investigation Team's, Adachi's and Izanami's reply.

* * *

"_Mirror Mirror on the wall…" The Knight sang, looking into the grungy mirror. "Who's the saddest of them all?"_

* * *

**Short chapter, I know. xD**


	25. Curtain Call

**OHEMGEE.**

**A chapter that didn't take so fricking long?**

**THE WORLD'S A GONNA END!**

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Vindicated

Chapter 25: Curtain Call

_Leave the past…_

_Find nowhere._

_

* * *

  
_

Adachi and Izanami walked together side-by-side, as silent and still as death. He said nothing. She said nothing. The sounds of the evening buzzed distantly around them. A barking dog, cicadas buzzing loudly in the air, a child crying. They were thinking, contemplating, and outright ignoring one-another.

Perhaps not the smartest thing to do, since Izanami was apparently the one with all the answers.

"_Something in the TV World that wasn't there before Ozawa died…" _Adachi blinked, his lips curling into a small frown as he and Izanami began the seemingly interminable trek back to his apartment. _"What the hell could that possibly be?"_

"Are you thinking about what the Shadow said?" Izanami asked quietly, her silver hair shrouding her eyes from view. Adachi jumped a little at her sudden words, but he relaxed, and replied uneasily,

"Y-Yeah. I mean, aren't you?"

"I have the truth in my hands, remember?" She looked over at him, smiling wryly underneath the shadows of her Moel cap and Adachi blushed, ever so slightly. She looked… alluring, here, beside him. Adachi found his eyes straying to the curves of her pale lips, the sharp outline of her white cheeks. And before long, he realized that a very awkward silence was hanging in the air around them.

"O-Oh, I forgot. Sorry."

It was now Izanami's turn to observe him, and from the annoyed expression in her eyes, Adachi had assumed she was most likely _not _observing the curves of his lips.

An even more awkward silence began to settle around them. And Adachi had decided to foolishly and clumsily break it,

"Hey, um, speaking of which…" He really needed to stop beating around the bush. He was acting stupid. Not cool. "What was with the whole 'Oh, let's tell the kiddies that we kissed' thing?"

Izanami cocked an eyebrow, her expression growing even more annoyed by the second, and she remarked,

"Did you wish for me to hide it from them? I apologize if I bothered you."

Adachi really, really wanted to go in hide in his apartment and berate himself for being so tactless.

"No, I wasn't bothered I was just um-"

"Would you wish for me to do it again, then? This time without the after-effects?" She cut him off, taking a step towards him, her eyes gleaming with something akin to… amusement? Was she enjoying playing Adachi like a puppet? Like an instrument?

Adachi promptly took a step back, and stuttered his perturbed reply,

"I'd rather not."

"_Maybe some other time?" _The sneakier, slyer part of him thought. But he wasn't brave enough to say that to Izanami's face. Not nearly. And so he settled with taking another step backward.

Izanami frowned, and there was something akin to disgust in her eyes.

"Just like my husband. You both find me repulsive."

Adachi stopped and stood there, looking into Izanami's pale, shadowed face, watching her as she stared at his feet, drinking in his brown loafers with an angry, sharp and downright pissed glare. She looked livid and for a second, Adachi felt sorry for her.

Hesitantly, he took a step forward, hand outstretched, as if Izanami were a raging, rabid dog. He wanted to calm her.

"Izanami-san…" It came out as a pacifying whisper, and Adachi had actually meant it to be firm, unyielding. He took another step forward.

"Izanami-san, I don't find you repulsive." That came out firm, concrete. And Adachi now stood right next to Izanami, her head downcast and nearly touching his chest. Her head came to his chin as she lifted it, and she looked the young detective straight in the eyes. Ruby locked with black.

"Really?" There was a tinge of sarcasm in her tone, and the expression-less look she gave him offered no support. "Are you sure? How am I to know if you'll run away like **he **did? How am I to know that you actually think I'm **rotten?"**

She spat the last few sentences out as if they were poison, as if they were toxic.

"'Cause I don't." Was Adachi's wry reply. "Quite the contrary, actually."

They stood there, for a few silent seconds. And then, Izanami spoke,

"Tohru Adachi, will you reach out for the truth, no matter how awful or miserable it may be?"

It was strange; her sudden turn of subject, and Adachi had actually flinched slightly, as if she'd whipped him with her tongue. His legs felt strange, prickly.

"What?"

"Do you wish for all lies and manipulations to disappear? Do you wish to become more than just a mouthpiece for negative energies? For demons?"

Izanami's red eyes flashed, filling with an emotion that was akin to… desperation.

"Answer me." She commanded, then added, her voice wavering. "Please."

Things filled Adachi's head. Visions of a yellow-eyed man that looked like him, visions of a sky painted black and red, visions of a giant, multi-faceted eyeball. Visions of memories that… couldn't be his.

Then his mind went blank, black, like the end of a film.

"Yes." He finally choked out, and his vision turned incredibly blurry, like old television. "I want the truth."

He began to sink to the ground, but Izanami jumped forward and held him up by his shoulders. Her nose poked into his cheek, and her voice was cold, ice-like against his ear lobe,

"No matter how awful it may be?"

"Yes!"

The corners of his vision turned black, and the Shopping District seemed to fold in on itself. Izanami rested her chin against his shoulder, and Adachi imagined strings of silver curling from her fingertips, wrapping around him like she was a spider and he was her prey.

"Then, child of man, I give you my blessing…"

Adachi watched as the corners of the room began to fold in on itself.

"A truth."

And Adachi felt his consciousness slip away.

* * *

He was in a gray room. A room with no windows, no doors, and no furniture. Save a mirror that was hanging in front of him. He was laying on the floor, and he wondered distantly why, whenever he ever passed out, he always seemed to end up on the floor.

Of all the interesting places he's ever been whenever he's passed out; this room had to be the most boring and bland.

Adachi struggled to stand, but alas, to no avail.

He was frozen, petrified. Unmoving.

The gray walls seemed to fold in on themselves and Adachi felt strange, as if this weren't… real. As if this were all a dream.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move, and his head turned violently to see what it possibly was.

Reality's overrated, and Adachi realized that he saw nothing. Just a trick that his eyes were playing on him. He tried to curl his fingers, and his mind turned blank, like a clean sheet of paper. Where was Izanami?

Actually, more important, where was _he?_

Something, that sounded vaguely like something being sucked in by a vacuum, like a loud, wet pop, rang in his ears, and Adachi watched as two bare, pale feet came into his line of vision.

Izanami.

Her white robes pooled around her bare feet, like pure waters, untainted and unblemished by dirt. Her Moel disguise was gone, Adachi noticed distantly.

"The truth may be dark, gloomy, and shrouded in fog…" Izanami spoke, and Adachi imagined her ruby eyes glittering darkly in the dreary room. "But you have the strength to penetrate the interminable lies and to find the truth, no matter how elusive it may be."

"Yeah," Adachi heard himself say, and his voice came out darkly, distorted. "No kidding. That's why you gave me this power, right?"

Izanami kneeled, lying on her knees, hands folded in her lap. Adachi could see her face now, and she looked apathetic, expressionless in the gray outlook of the unknown, ominous room. Her lips formed a straight, white line.

Was she displeased?

Adachi hoped not, for his sake.

"I gave power to three people," Her voice had a certain mystic quality, and it seemed as if she were ignoring him. "The first had eyes, but could not see. The second, wallowed in despair and turned away from the truth. And the third faced the truth courageously, bravely."

Adachi felt his body go completely numb.

"Then the first opened his eyes and realized that he was lost in the fog. That the truth was worth finding. So he walked through the hollow forest and looked for the truth, his strength and skill at his beck and call."

Adachi tried to curl his fingers again. His eyes began to sting.

"The hollow forest was to be braved, and Demons Of Yomi were to be fought and mastered."

Izanami looked down now, watching Adachi readily.

"And the first was to receive his vindication. But he needed to see the truth that was right in front of his eyes."

Adachi watched as a dark pool began to surround him, and he tried to scream, but his mouth wouldn't move. Hands, sharp-clawed and black, surrounded him, grasping his shoulders, his arms, his legs. One hand curled around his cheeks, scratching lightly against his skin.

Izanami watched, sitting there with her legs folded underneath her. Expressionlessly.

The sharp-clawed hands pulled Adachi down, into the dark pool. Into the abyss.

The grungy mirror, the only piece of furniture in the entire room, gleamed angrily in the dim light. And Izanami looked over to it, standing up. The sharp-clawed hands dug into Adachi's clothes and skin, and his eyes widened, his breathing grew uneven, frightened.

Izanami stood in front of the mirror, and Adachi noticed that she had no reflection. The sharp-clawed hands tightened their grip on him.

Izanami raised a hand, her pale fingers centimeters away from the mirror glass. And slowly, she dipped her fingers into the mirror.

Adachi's breathing grew even more breathy, uneven.

"Someone has tampered with my Midnight Channel." Izanami flatly stated. She dipped her entire hand into the mirror, and Adachi felt himself being tugged deeper into the abyss.

"This copycat has destroyed the truth, replacing it with a lie that suits his own ends."

She dipped her entire arm into the mirror.

"The mirror is supposed to represent truth." She clenched her jaw. "This is a distortion of the very thing we work for."

Adachi was pulled fully into the abyss, by the sharp-clawed hands. And the last thing he saw was Izanami turning around to him, watching him through darkened ruby eyes.

She looked malicious, angry.

* * *

Flashes of faces he'd seen before moved behind his eyes.

Kataki's…

Souji's…

Namatame's…

Mayumi's…

Izanami's.

And everything went white. Like a camera taking a picture.

* * *

Adachi fell to the hardwood floors of his apartment, right out of his bed. He fell on his back with a loud, slightly painful sounding clunk, and almost immediately on contact, the young detective let out a groan. He could still see the sharp-clawed hands behind his eyelids, grabbing him and dragging him into the abyss.

He was safe now, he could tell. Call it… detective's intuition, if you will. Adachi scratched at the hardwood floor, feeling his now damp shirt clinging to his skin like a wet towel. His jacket, along with his tie, had gone missing. Or had been misplaced. He remembered wearing it before…

"Do you realize now?" He heard distant footsteps, bare feet slapping against the hardwood floors. Izanami, obviously, judging from the clipped tones. "I granted you one truth. But what matters is if you saw it, and realized it."

A truth? She granted him a nightmare.

Adachi wheezed, choking out between his frightened, uneven gasps for air, "What… what the hell was that?"

"Simple." She replied, and Adachi heaved himself up off the floor, sitting upward against the side of his bed. He glanced at her, and noticed that she had both his tie and jacket in her arms. She watched him wryly, smiling ever so deviously. "The truth."

"It made no sense." He hissed. "So tell me what the hell it was before I-"

"Before you what?" She challenged, holding up his scarlet tie between her fingers. "Attack me? You'll do nothing of the sort."

"Wanna bet?" He clutched his side as something painful, cramp-like stabbed at him. He ground his teeth.

"No." She quipped. It came out in a challenging way, as if she knew full well that Adachi wouldn't even attempt to attack her, let alone be able to, in the exhausted state he was in. There was a certain malevolence inside her ruby eyes, and Adachi found himself shrinking away from her, clutching his cramping side.

"F-Fine." He stuttered, leaning against the side of his bed unhurriedly, calmly. "Just… what was that? That room, and those…" At this he paused, and shuddered. "Hands."

"A room concocted out of the truth, a room that was formed between the bridge of reality and dream." Adachi thought of the Velvet Room. "A room that allowed me to enter your subconscious, and show you the truth."

"Couldn't you have done that with a_ regular _mirror?" He dared, looking at her coolly through sharp black eyes. Izanami smiled, and toyed with the scarlet tie between her fingers.

"I said that someone had tampered with my Midnight Channel; meaning, they had used it for their own gain, and as a leverage or crutch to use for their own… contrivance."

"Their own device, their own scheme?" Adachi paused, glanced down, and contemplated. "You still didn't answer my question. Why not use a regular mirror?"

"Because I never gave anyone the power to enter the Other World via a mirror." She replied, kneeling down, and handing Adachi his jacket and tie. "None of you will be able to enter the Other World through a mirror."

"So the killer, or killers, is using a mirror to test the stability of it, while also killing others, and continuing its… master plan?" Izanami nodded, and Adachi continued, eyes closing half-way, lazily, "That does sound interesting."

"Oh, but how are we going to tell Seta-san, and the others?" Adachi whispered, biting his bottom lip. "If we can't show them… they're most likely not going to believe us."

"Am I not the goddess they fought merely two months ago?" Izanami lilted wryly, smiling. "They have reason to believe me, considering that I am on their side, now."

Adachi returned the smile.

"True."

* * *

The puppet leaned tensely against the alley walls. Around him, the rain continued to fall steadily, pattering against the dirty and grungy ground, making small lilts in the air. His umbrella, a wide white thing, protected the puppet from most of the rain, but the puppet still felt very miserable.

Leaning against the wall across him, the tall man was scribbling more things down in a legal pad, seemingly not minding the rain as it soaked him.

"They'll figure out the mirror's use soon enough," The tall man whispered, crossing a sentence out with an impressive flourish. "We may be in trouble then."

"Izanami's not gonna tell anyone anything." The puppet sneered, gripping his umbrella tightly. "I'm pretty sure of that."

"Izanami is weak, fragile." The tall man replied, in a snorting sort of way. "She's got a soft spot for quite a few people."

* * *

Adachi shrugged his jacket back on, and glancing at his tie, decided to throw it over his shoulder. They had a constricting quality, those ties. Izanami had made herself scarce, going somewhere else in his apartment after their conversation.

Adachi's fingers traveled into his jacket pockets, clutching around his keys, and the leather keychain that was the last piece of his life eleven years ago. He smiled, and rubbed at it, like someone would to a rabbit's foot.

Then, his cell phone vibrated against his knuckles and Adachi nearly jumped. He took it out gingerly, and tilted his head when he saw the caller ID.

_Restricted._

Opening it, gingerly, Adachi spoke,

"Adachi here."

The shuffling of papers, then a calm voice, a woman's.

"Hello? Tohru Adachi?"

"Yeah." He snorted, hadn't he just said that? Was this woman dumb?

"Yes, this is Kobayashi from the Tokyo PD. I assume you know that your father is incarcerated here, no?" She snorted equally, obviously challenging the young detective to take that tone with her. Adachi heard more papers being shuffled, and a distant shout.

Adachi didn't exactly like where this conversation was going.

"Yeah, I do."

"His psychoanalyst has requested you visit him again." The girl stated, in a slightly conceited way. Adachi almost dropped his cell.

Again?

Why again?

Adachi voiced that.

"Why? I mean, um…"

"His psychoanalyst said that he's started talking again. I assume you knew he was quite catatonic. Well, after you visited him last time, he apparently got out of that state. His psychoanalyst believes it would be good for him to have you visit him again. All we need is your consent and voila." She added the last part dryly, sarcastically.

Adachi had no idea what to say, so he stuttered,

"U-Uhm… yeah, sure."

He brought his hand to his temples and began cussing himself out. That wasn't what he wanted to say!

But, before he could change his mind, the tyrant on the other line hung up on him, saying,

"Good. Then come back to the Tokyo PD tomorrow at noon. See you then."

Adachi closed his phone, ceasing the beeping noise that had started on the other end, and watched as Izanami walked into the room, her lips twisted in a frown.

"I overheard." She said, crossing her arms. "Am I to assume this means you'll be visiting him again, tomorrow?"

Adachi didn't answer.

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**SNOW DAYS FOR ALL!!!!**

**I'd appreciate it if you voted on my poll in my profile. :D**


	26. Mirror Mirror

**Well, looks like we're getting closer and closer to this being 100,000 words. xD YAY!**

**The latest poll's results are in…**

**Izanami, is apparently the fan favorite for a coupling! :D Yay! With 6 votes!**

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Vindicated

Chapter 26: Mirror Mirror

_Put your hands…_

_Into the fire._

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_May 3__rd__ 2012_

Though, it would've been logical and more to Adachi's advantage to cancel, he ended up getting on the train yet again. Heading for the Tokyo Prison. Heading for a trip straight back to living hell. The humming of the bullet train was quiet, soothing, and coaxed Adachi into idle thoughts.

"_Didn't know he had a psychoanalyst still." _He blinked lazily, leaning against the window, cold, icy glass pressed against his cheek. _"Would've thought he'd give up on him."_

Adachi shivered slightly at the cold glass, but didn't shy away. Poetically, idly, he thought about how ironic it was that the day he'd go to see his father it was cold, foggy and very eerie.

The gray fog hugged the blurring landscape, as Adachi looked out the freezing window he was leaning against. It was disheartening to know that he couldn't tell the Investigation Team about the latest 'development' in the case, or that Izanami had finally stopped clamming up the truth for some reason, and it was even more disconcerting to know that he neither had the words or inspiration to put what he learned onto paper.

He couldn't hide behind letters forever. This was something he'd need to face head-on, and not behind the scenes like a damn coward.

Why was he such a coward? In everything he did, he had wanted to hide from plain sight. With Izanami, with his bastard of a father, with the murders…

His fingers curled into a fist at the last thought, and he leaned heavily into the train window, the cold of the window seeping through the flesh in his cheek. He focused on the ever-blurring landscape determinedly, trying to keep his thoughts away from the gray room, the mirror, the sharp-clawed hands and most importantly, Izanami.

He needed to keep his thoughts away from everything, so he focused on the paint-like gray landscape, and the strange character in the book he had just started reading. Some sparkling moron named Edowado Curren, who apparently, had a fetish for staring at sleeping girls.

At this thought, Adachi shuddered.

* * *

"_The things that bind them all together…"_

"_Izanami, the demons of Yomi, the Shadows, the mirror, the Midnight Channel, the three…"_

"_There's something that brings them all together."_

"_The gods are playing a risky game."_

* * *

Perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as the last time, facing the man he'd hated and despised and detested for so long. Perhaps, Adachi thought as he gazed upon the large building surrounded by a tall barbed wire fence, he wouldn't be as shocked or frozen as the last time he saw Kataki.

After all, he hadn't let the anxiety fester over more than a week this time.

Throwing away all his useless emotions, Adachi closed his eyes, took a deep, calming breath, and slowly walked into the high security prison in Tokyo. Hands clenched at his sides, heart hammering wildly and anxiously in his chest.

Although Adachi hadn't let the anxiety fester in his mind over time, he had hardly gotten a wink of sleep thinking about why it had to be him Kataki had to talk to. Why couldn't his damn psychoanalyst just talk to the bastard himself?

Oh, right, something about a family being _responsive _to each other. Adachi frowned, and gave his badge to the guard in front of the prison. Surprisingly, the green-eyed guard offered no comment, but did spare the young detective a curious, sympathetic glance that followed Adachi until the front doors of the prison closed behind him with a soft _click._

Adachi wouldn't have it any other way. He'd grown sick of the many comments from other police officers, and he was content to see that he wouldn't be hounded here, this time. He preferred to remain under the radar, away from fame. Or, rather, any fame or infamy regarding the massacre or the murders. Anything else would've been pleasant.

But this, this had always come back to haunt him. And now it interfered with his search for truth.

Why was it always Kataki's fault that his life was so very screwed up?

"Oh! Tohru Adachi, right?" A woman in a long white overcoat walked towards him, her glasses dangling off the edge of her nose. This had to be Kataki's psychoanalyst, of that, Adachi was almost positive.

He regarded her with a grim expression, black eyes gleaming like tiny black beetles in their depths. He replied, even more grimly, though with a slight, morbid-looking smile,

"Yeah, you're his psychoanalyst, right? Nice to meet you."

Here, his ability to keep up an innocuous façade waned. Faded. Like a camera's flash. He wasn't that good of an actor, and he doubted he ever would be.

The psychoanalyst dipped her head in a slight bow, shot him a fake, toothy smile, and held out her hand,

"Akira Kurosawa, pleasure to meet you. Your father has talked a lot about you."

Adachi looked at her hand and stiffly shook it, frowning ever so slightly, and regarding the overly-eager psychoanalyst with a dark, glaring look. He shredded his façade, ripping it into thin shreds. He didn't want to act, not for this _shit._

"Huh, oh really?" His hand twitched in her grip. "Good to know."

"Mostly good," She winked, smiling that fake smile, coated in tacky red lipstick. Adachi decided to focus on her fakeness. It got his mind off of other, more important, things. Thoughts. "Don't worry."

The psychoanalyst led him through the cells, jail cell keys jingling in her pale hands. A few inmates giggled, and whispered, like depraved children. Like the morons they were for thinking they could elude justice. The truth.

Even he wasn't capable of that. (Neither was Izanami, he added fitfully.)

"Kataki has been awfully talkative lately." The psychoanalyst said, looking back at him as they walked past the cells. "I presume Kobayashi-san told you that he had been in a catatonic state?"

Adachi nodded, shooting her a weak, almost pitiful smile.

The psychoanalyst looked up, as if contemplating something amongst the whistles and pandemonium of the cells around them. She muttered, almost under her breath yet purposefully loud enough for Adachi to hear,

"In the eleven years I've had Kataki as a patient, not once has he ever spoken. It's… nice to finally see him crack." She winked at Adachi. "He's got a soft spot for you, I think. That's why I brought you here today."

"Yeah," Adachi replied, swallowing the sarcasm and the frown before they emerged. "Right."

He wasn't able to completely drown out the sarcasm. And the psychoanalyst seemed to have noticed, shooting him a disheartened, though still hopeful, look.

They continued to walk down the seemingly interminable hall, surrounded by loud inmates that drowned out their soft footsteps. Her perkiness, her delightfulness, was really starting to grate on Adachi's nerves. She was, if there was any perfect word to describe it, annoying.

_Very _annoying.

"Well, here we are." She lilted bubbly, pulling keys out of the pockets of her lab coat, as they reached the last cell down the long hallway. It was quiet here. So deathly, ghostly, quiet.

Adachi felt the ghost of a shiver, a shudder, run down his spine.

"Well," A voice, so raspy and so achingly familiar, echoed throughout the cell as the psychoanalyst opened the cell door, letting Adachi in.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

Kataki Adachi sat, handcuffed to a metal chair, opposite of another metal chair in the tiny, padded cell. His shaggy black hair hung in his eyes, and his unhealthy-looking skin emitted an eerie, creepy look. Adachi was almost instantly reminded of the dream he had had, and flashes of his father holding up Tarot Cards moved behind his eyes, causing him to rub at his stinging eyes.

"Pleasant?" Adachi spat, looking down at Kataki. "Ha, what a joke. So funny I forgot to fucking laugh."

"Now, now, Tohru-chan," Kataki patronized, pulling at the cuffs behind him, smiling almost wryly up at his son. "What would mommy think if she heard you talking like that?"

"Go to hell." Adachi raised his eyebrows, and then snorted. "Oh, wait, you're already there."

Behind him, the psychoanalyst filed in, closing the jail cell door behind her with a loud, (Final, Adachi thought, a little paranoid.) clang, and sat down in the corner of the cell, clipboard balanced on her knees. Kataki gave her a fleeting, uncaring glance, and then looked back up at Adachi, who was sitting down in the chair opposite of him.

"No better place like **home." **Kataki lilted, flipping his shaggy, overgrown hair over his shoulders. He gestured, with his cuffed hands, to the gray walls, the dirty toilet, the grungy mirror, the slab-like bed. Adachi sucked on the corner of his lip, tensing slightly.

"Wouldn't you agree?" Kataki asked, and the psychoanalyst in the corner began to scribble something.

Adachi said nothing. And simply regarded his father with an uncaring, chilling glare. The corners of the prison inmate's lips curled upward.

"I'm surprised you actually came. I would've expected you to be busy with your _detective _work. With solving all those goddamn _mysteries." _

Adachi visibly flinched, and for a second, he wondered if Kataki knew about the Midnight Channel, about the murders that Adachi had thought himself to be responsible for.

Not only was family responsive, but intuitive as well, after all.

He quelled his paranoia, and folded his elbows across his knees, leaning in slightly, as if telling Kataki a particularly huge secret.

"Unlike you, I don't exactly take my work seriously." He said, then he added quickly, "Daddy."

"You should," Kataki retorted, scrunching his nose up slightly. In disgust or conceit. "It's all you're good for. Working."

"Really?" A snort, derived completely out of contempt. And a sharp flash of white-hot anger. "Then you're good for nothing. Just another little bitch stuck inside a boring reality."

Kataki smiled, derisively, almost smugly and his black eyes glinted like shiny black beetles, like two mirrors. Adachi shivered, lacing his fingers together and watching his father from the other side of the room. He heard the distant scratch of the psychoanalyst's pen, and a sneeze from somewhere far off. But really, it seemed like it was just them, like they were somewhere else, alone.

The dream, the foggy street, melded into view behind Adachi's eyes. Izanami's gray room flashed as well, and Adachi felt something sharp-clawed grip his shoulder vaguely, squeezing it.

"Why did you stop visiting me? You didn't pay me a visit in five years, until today and the other day. Why?" Kataki sounded vaguely pathetic, but there was a hint of bitterness in his tone, and his eyes closed almost lazily. "If you didn't like visiting me, you shouldn't have started in the first place, all those years ago."

Adachi didn't answer, and he shot Kataki a quizzical, almost cynical glare.

"And what about that little…" A smirk, all-too-familiar, spread across Kataki's narrow face. "Mistake, that got you sent to some backwater town? I heard a lot of guards talking about that. Did you know they think your some psycho? Some sociopath, some sadist with a chip on their shoulder?"

Kataki leaned back, and added, almost conversationally,

"That 'chip', naturally, is me."

Adachi heard a distant shot of gunfire, somewhere in his mind, and a scream that sounded so… frightened.

_Adachi! Hold your goddamn fire!_

_No! No!_

_You idiot! I gave you strict orders not to shoot!_

_I'm afraid we're going to have to reassign you._

_Tohru Adachi, you are hereby fired from the Okinawa Police Department._

The psychoanalyst's cough dragged him from his reverie, and he let out a sharp, shuddering gasp.

"How many has it been now? That you've _reportedly _killed?" Kataki asked, wetting his pale, thin lips. He leaned in, smiling. "Three? Four, counting the copy-cat?"

"Shut up." Adachi hissed, and then repeated. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Thirteenth verse, same as the first.

"Even after all these years," Kataki purred, eyes glinting in amusement. Like mirrors. "You're still nothing but that damn teenager who couldn't keep his emotions under control."

"Shut up!"

"Or what?" Kataki challenged, tilting his head to the side, half-hiding his face underneath a veil of greasy, scraggly black hair. "You'll run to mommy? Newsflash, kid, she's dead."

Adachi stood up, knocking the chair over with a loud, final clatter. The psychoanalyst scrambled to her feet, clipboard waving in the air, eyes wide in their sockets.

"Shut up! You don't have any clue what kind of shit I had to go through because of you!" Adachi turned red. No. He was seeing red. "You… You're nothing! You pretend like you don't see it! You pretend like you don't see what I've become because of you!"

Adachi took a step forward, and punched Kataki across the face, the smack echoing in the cell.

"Stop pretending! Stop pretending like you don't care about it!"

Adachi raised another fist in the air, but the psychoanalyst pulled him back.

Kataki spat, a trickle of blood dripping from his split lip. He smiled then, and giggled. It sounded sick and demented to Adachi's ears. And he glared at Kataki, the psychoanalyst pulling him away.

"Enough!" The bubbly tone that had annoyed Adachi was now replaced by a firm one, and the psychoanalyst tugged on his arm. Adachi tugged back, glaring at Kataki, who was spitting out another mouthful of blood.

"Tohru Adachi! Need I remind you, a detective, that assault is an acknowledged crime!? Stop!" The psychoanalyst pulled him again, and Adachi tensed.

Kataki spat out another mouthful of blood and licked his split lip tentatively, carefully, with a surgeon's precision. Adachi grimaced, his face turning dark, and not unlike the person he was during Magatsu Inaba. Something icy reached underneath his collar and down his spine, chilling him to the bone.

"_Relax, Child of Man." _Izanami whispered, in his thoughts.

"_Listen to her," _Bishamon said, also in his thoughts, sounding like liquid velvet. _"Control your emotions. He's trying to play you. Do not let him succeed."_

"_Stay out. Both of you." _Adachi hissed, looking at Kataki with eyes that gleamed like white-hot coals.

"Tohru-kun," Kataki giggled, lilted. Sang, even. "Poor little Tohru-kun. I often wonder how such a disappointment can be my son."

Adachi took a step forward, as the psychoanalyst reached for her notes. Her clipboard. She scribbled something frantically, smiling a tacky, fake smile.

"I hate you." Adachi said, whispered. "I hate you, and the shitless idiot you've become."

"I love you too, kid."

Kataki reached forward, grabbing Adachi's wrist with one of his long-fingered, handcuffed hands. Adachi tried to jump back, but Kataki held him there, digging through the cloth of his black jacket with gnarled, uncut nails.

Something, like electricity, jumped, arced across Adachi's arm, and Adachi heard Izanami's slight gasp in the back of his head.

Had she felt it too?

"I love you," Kataki muttered, eyes wide and raccoon-like in their sockets. "For turning my life into a living hell and giving me the chance to finally finish what I've started!"

* * *

_Something clicked in Izanami's mind, and she shuddered, sagged against Adachi's door frame, eyes wide and hollow._

"_No!" She whispered. "No! Child Of Man!"_

* * *

**Somewhere, the tall man smiled in the fog, his puppet beside him.**

"**And thus, the Knight goes forth to checkmate the enemy's King."**

* * *

The lengthy lecture he'd received from the psychoanalyst, something about 'regulations, and what's going to happen if anyone finds out what happened, and assault charges that could be pressed' and Kataki's less than savory mannerisms had left Adachi in a rather foul, temperamental mood.

And it wasn't helped by the fact that the same fortune teller that had been outside the Tokyo prison the first time, was out there again. In her gaudy little stand, shuffling her embroidered Tarot Cards listlessly. No, it didn't help at all.

In the back of his head, the image of the Devil Card folded and unfolded in his third eye. Fire engulfing Lovers and all.

The fortune teller seemed to have not noticed Adachi, and continued shuffling her embroidered, fancy Tarot Cards listlessly, eyes trained on the strange images, black hair sticking up kinkily, like thick spikes.

"Ah," Her voice, raspy and aged, suddenly broke through the air, and Adachi jumped slightly. "I was wondering when you'd return."

Adachi froze, and stared at the woman behind the street table, shrouded in the shadows of the gaudy stand. She stopped shuffling the cards, and tentatively, gingerly, pulled out a single, fancy, embroidered card from the middle of the deck.

On it, two lovers were engulfed by fire, their unheard screams reflecting their open, gaping mouths.

"The Devil. The Devil, have you met the Devil?"

Like a street-performer, the fortune teller flicked her fingers, and three other cards appeared in her hand, like some stiff, cardboard fan. The Magician, Justice and The World stared back at Adachi, dancing on the cards.

"L-Leave me alone!" Adachi hissed, stepping back and accidentally bumping into someone. The business man pushed him forward, swearing at him. "Shove off!"

And with that, Adachi turned around and ran towards the train station, past throngs of business men in suits.

The fortune teller smirked, and slowly, faded away. Disappeared.

The tall man appeared seconds later, his messy black hair hanging in his face.

"What a fool." He said, smirking. His face had hints of the fortune teller's, but those traces, those hints, soon faded as well.

* * *

_Naoto Shirogane pulled the letter off of Adachi's door, the fog surrounding her. The Investigation Team had decided not to meet today, as the fog was so thick and unavigable._

_That didn't stop Naoto Shirogane from thinking, however._

"_I apologize for everything you've been through, Adachi-san." Naoto whispered into the fog. "You've been through so much, haven't you?"_

* * *

Adachi held the sweating glass firmly, leaning against the train window yet again.

His mistake, the murders he'd supposedly committed. They haunted him, like ghosts that just wouldn't go away.

His father had made the mistake of making him remember, however.

In the back of his head, Adachi heard the gunshots yet again, and the screaming yells of his superiors.

_Adachi! Hold your damn fire!_

Shakily, Adachi brought the glass of water he'd ordered to his lips.

* * *

Izanami held her ground, walking through the fog without her disguise. There wouldn't be anyone walking around Inaba, of that, the goddess of darkness was sure. Her eyes gleamed like scarlet rubies in their sockets, and her robes swirled around her like pure waters. The fog shrouded everything around her, in a thick gray veil.

"_I'm sorry, Child Of Man." _She whispered. _"But what's to happen next is for the good of your vindication."_

"_No." _Izanami looked up at the gray sky, shrouded by the fog. _"For the good of __**Truth."**_

* * *

Izanami wasn't there when he'd gotten home.

Not that Adachi had wanted to see her, but it would've been nice if he had someone to complain to. Dojima would probably tell him to suck it up, and Izanami was, not to mince words, prettier. Sexier.

Adachi shook his head. Best not to let thoughts get too out of hand.

It was also dark, though he could hardly tell due to the thick fog, but the clock below his TV read _10:16 PM. _So Adachi dragged himself to the bathroom.

Was that a speck on his mirror?

Slowly, without thinking, Adachi reached up to wipe the speck of his mirror with his sleeve…

And promptly fell through his mirror. No, scratch that, something came out of his mirror and pulled him through.

Adachi tried to scream as fingers weaved through his hair and yanked him in. The sharp-clawed hands flashed through his mind, and Adachi fell as if he were going through water as the mirror yanked him in.

He felt vaguely as if he were falling. The wind whistled past him, and the hands and fingers were gone.

The yellow fog of the Other World surrounded him.

And Adachi found himself there, with no way to get out.

* * *

**Adachi: Oh, FML.**

**Happy Belated Valentine's Day, everyone.  
**


	27. On The Wall

**Thanks for the reviews, everybody! You guys are what keep me going!**

**This chapter is also called *Insert Clever Title Here***

**This chapter was also going to be a hella of a lot longer but… Shit happened.**

***Hides Death Note DVDs, Durarara!!! Manga and Percy Jackson books in closet. Dusty PC cries out for attention.***

**

* * *

  
**

Vindicated

Chapter 27: On The Wall

_Gonna get this party started!_

_And I can't wish this away!_

_

* * *

  
_

_Inaba._

_Weather: HEAVY FOG_

Adachi was in the Other World, with no way to get out, vicious Shadows all around him, and no idea where he was. In short, he was screwed. He was on a high hill, or plateau, and it was strange to see the Other World without its trademark yellow fog.

It looked… twisted. Malformed, like something out of his nightmares.

A black and red sky stretched out interminably above him, shifting endlessly with every passing second. There was no wind, yet something moved eerily on the breezeless breeze, like foreshadowing, like fear. The grass Adachi had found himself laying on was wilting, turning yellow, golden almost underneath him. Twisted trees looked gnarled and bare without their leaves, and looked vaguely like street poles in the distance.

On instinct, Adachi reached for his gun holster, and a small, reassured smile spread across his face when his fingertips brushed against the cool metal butt of his gun. He'd landed on the glasses Teddie had given him, and he could feel the lenses poking into the small of his back. He wouldn't need them though, as the fog here, in this world, had lifted.

And because of that, Adachi almost resigned himself to an unwinnable fate. There was no way he'd be able to win in a dreary situation as this. The Shadows would be vicious, agitated by his presence.

If anything, Adachi had barely a few minutes to live. And it was sad that he'd never be able to tell the group what he'd learned, just by falling in here.

"_I-I'm sorry, guys. Ugh." _He thought, taking a deep breath of the stale air. _"Sorry, Dojima-san, for not staying long enough to make sure you get home to Nanako-chan. Sorry, Souji-kun, for not getting to help you solve this murder. Sorry, Izanami, for running away from you. Like he did, whoever the hell he is."_

The glasses poked into his back, reminding him of the things he'd been through. But it was pointless to get up. The Shadows would finish him off. It'd be better if he didn't fight.

He almost laughed.

"_If you think about, this is fitting." _He grinned, an ironic, sad-looking smile. _"If I turned out to be the killer all along, this is what I deserve. Isn't it?"_

Distantly, he heard something rumble from far away, and the smell of blood hung in his nose. Not his blood, he told himself. He didn't want to die, not yet.

No… No, not ever!

Adachi gritted his teeth and rolled over, the glasses in his pocket snapping loudly. Adachi ignored them though, and pulled his gun from its holster. What was he thinking!? He couldn't die, not now! He didn't want to!

"_I need to finish this!"_

The trees looked twisted and gnarled in the distance. The black and red sky shifted endlessly and interminably above him. Gold tinged his eyes lightly. The grass beneath his faded brown loafers looked dead and wilting and sad. His gun reflected some sort of light, and Adachi grimaced darkly.

He couldn't die. He didn't want to!

"_What am I thinking!? I don't deserve to die! They, those brats," _Adachi thought post-humorously, listening to the distant rumble of the Shadows, the hisses and the yowls. _"They said so themselves!"_

Adachi held the gun like a dying man would cling to life. The wilting grass crunched beneath his faded brown loafers. And the Shadows…

The Shadows came after him. Coming over the hill in hordes, in throngs of colorful, awful monsters. Like some twisted army. With no way out, Adachi would have to make one. Even he knew that. And though it would have been prudent to just give up without a fight…

Adachi couldn't. After all he'd been through; he wouldn't go down without a fight. It just wasn't… right. He didn't go down without a fight in his home eleven years ago, he didn't go down without a fight in Magatsu Inaba. And he'd be damned before he'd go down without a fight in this eternal hell hole.

Holding the revolver in his hand, Adachi prayed to a God he didn't believe in, and held the gun at arm's length with both hands, looking pointedly down the barrel. Slipping one hand into his jacket pocket, his fingers brushed the broken glasses, and the card in which Bishamon was sealed in.

Pulling it out, Adachi held the card between his fingers, and a familiar grooved, pretty silver light enveloped him. Flicking his wrist like some cheap street-performer, Adachi crushed the card, and yelled out,

"Persona!"

Something, like a piece of him that had stayed hidden for so long, clicked in the back of his mind and Bishamon in all his checkered glory, appeared behind him, looming over Adachi like a tall guardian. Bishamon crossed the two spiked maces over his heart, and Adachi felt the Persona groan at the odds, and the many Shadows that tumbled down the hill and over the wilting fields of the Other World.

"_Thou art an idiot." _Bishamon whispered, sounding like liquid velvet and holding the same tone Izanami often took with him. _"These odds are nay impossible."_

"_Shut up." _Adachi hissed, determination and perseverance gleaming in his black eyes. He wouldn't go down. He needed to hold out, for just a little longer.

Perhaps, perhaps, and just perhaps, the Investigation Team would be able to save him?

"_Don't hold onto that hope." _Bishamon whispered, looming over Adachi, watching the Shadows through his Izanagi-like mask. There was a hint of Adachi's Shadow's voice in Bishamon's words, and Adachi's eyes narrowed slightly. _"Or thou shalt end up making a fool of himself."_

"_I'm already a Fool. Always have been. Always will be."_

Five Lying Halberies closed in around him, and Adachi held Bishamon's Persona Card in between his fingers, as if it were the winning lottery ticket. Other Shadows circled around them, laughing monotonously, neutrally, their voices blurring in the air around him.

Adachi held the card high above him, swung his revolver slightly, insanely, and crushed the card again. A silver light exploded from behind him and Adachi yelled, screamed,

"Maragidyne!"

Bishamon moved, almost listlessly behind him, swinging a spiked mace vertically through the air. Five spouts of fire exploded around the two, killing the Lying Halberies on contact.

Those were weak, so what was next? Adachi had the dark feeling that the Shadows would only get stronger as time went on. The one thing he needed to do was escape. Get somewhere safe.

But, with the huge throng of Shadows around, and Adachi counted thousands, which would prove to be difficult. And he had no idea where he was.

Three Fuzz-type Shadows hurdled towards him. One shot him, and Adachi ducked, the bullet whizzing only inches above his head. He gulped, and took his own revolver, looking down the barrel and pointing it at the Fuzz-type Shadows' head. The one in the middle flinched, the bullet ripping through his fat lips, his flinch making the little key in his chest whirl faster around.

"_Geez, where the hell's Kujikawa when you need her?"_

The Fuzz-type Shadows inched ever closer, shooting at Adachi. One bullet grazed his shoulder, and Adachi found himself skidding across the wilting grass, hissing slightly in pain. He gritted his teeth, gripped his revolver, and crushed Bishamon's card again,

"Ziodyne!"

A large, powerful lightning bolt cut through the air, exploding the Fuzz-type monster in the middle, sending flecks of thick, black liquid through the air. Bishamon loomed over Adachi again, the checkered robes slightly uneven due to the large splatter of black liquid across its robes and Adachi's face.

Adachi shot again, effectively killing another Shadow, the bullet ripping through its skull, the gunshot echoing around him. Five more Shadows took those two's place, and Adachi found himself up against two Shadows now.

"Debilitate!"

Colorful circles encircled the seven Shadows, weakening them slightly. Adachi guarded now, bracing himself for the flurry of magic and beatings that were to come.

He needed to find a way out of here. He needed too.

If he wanted to live, at least.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Adachi saw a castle looming in the distance, standing out in the shifting black and red sky.

_Yukiko's Castle._

* * *

Naoto Shirogane couldn't sleep. It was as if there was something silently nagging at her, tugging at her mind and telling her to listen. Perhaps it was a foolish worry. Or, perhaps, it was… something more?

Naoto let the dark clouds of thought hang over her head as she cast a weary, tired look out her grandfather's luxurious windows. This mansion, the Shirogane Estate, was the only mansion for miles in Inaba, and it was quite a sight to behold. Though, it resembled something of a haunted house straight out of Lovecraft's works when surrounded by Inaba's infamous heavy fog.

The fireplace in her grandfather's study cackled ominously, as Naoto stared restlessly out the window, looking out at the fog as it swallowed everything in sight, like some giant vacuum, sucking up everything until there was nothing left but a gray, dull canvas.

There was a great deal of papers scattered about around her, and among those papers was her neatly done homework, several copies of Nanako's ransom letter, and the fake police badge that Adachi had given her when they'd chatted outside Souji's hospital room, nearly two weeks ago. There was also a laptop amongst the jungle-like reams on paper, reflecting a typed up Word Document of notable happenings in Inaba, and persons of interest for other cases.

Naoto hated to throw anything out, as she was never really sure when she'd need her old documents. It was, also, a childish desire to keep everything, and to cling onto her old things.

In fact, Naoto was positive that notes from the first case she'd ever completed was somewhere among the mess.

Naoto tore her gaze from the foggy windows and cast a weary, longing look over her grandfather's study. She looked over the stacks of old detective novels, over scattered, unorganized papers, over the old TV in the corner of her grandfather's study…

Naoto redirected her gaze towards the old TV. Something had caught her eyes.

The old TV flickered slightly, unnoticeably, but enough so that it had caught Naoto's attention. Naoto tensed, and shot a surprised, bemused look out the window, where the weather was simply foggy. It wasn't raining, so why was…?

Why was the Midnight Channel working, on a midnight with no rain?

Naoto looked back at the old TV, and watched as the screen flickered, turned slowly to white static, and then, the image turned sharp, vivid, like normal broadcasting.

"Adachi-san!" Naoto hissed, as the image of Adachi running through a field, bleeding and battered, his scarlet tie hanging in tatters, crossed the TV. This defeated version of Adachi, swiveled around, aimed, and shot something, someone, before turning around and running again.

He looked vaguely, unsurprisingly, like the man they'd fought in Magatsu Inaba, with his jacket in shreds and his tie hanging in tatters.

Naoto flipped open her royal blue cell phone, and quickly dialed Souji's number.

It rang three times before Souji picked it up,

"Naoto?" He sighed, and sounded half-asleep. His tinny phone voice hung in her ears. "W-What do you want…?"

"Senpai?" Naoto sounded so very calm. "There is a matter that we need to discuss."

* * *

Adachi was unraveling from the inside, as he collapsed inside Yukiko's Castle, the sky shifting interminably above him. Tapestries hung from the walls, against flagstone walls, and Adachi found himself incredibly tired.

Without the glasses, and it didn't matter because they were lying in a snapped mess in his jacket pocket, the nausea of the Other World continued to take effect. Even without the fog, this place was not a place meant for humans. And, though Adachi was loathe to admit it, he could not escape his humanity, even now.

Adachi leaned heavily against a crimson tapestry, gun held delicately and unsurely in his hands. He sunk to the floor, scarlet tie hanging in tatters, jacket torn to shreds. Distantly, Adachi realized he'd need new clothes soon.

The fog, a fog of confusion, hung in Adachi's mind. Clouding his thoughts and making little beads of sweat trickle down his face, painting his pale, sunken face.

This place, the place inside the TV, is not meant for humans. Is not meant for him.

What had happened to the days when this world had embraced him? Did it mean that… something had changed?

"_Your goals. Our goals. The Shadows' goals." _Adachi leaned against the wall, curling up into a small ball but holding his revolver defensively, cautiously. _"That changed."_

Bishamon's card felt heavy in his pocket, and Adachi felt drained of his spirit. He wasn't going to last long, not in this world, at least.

"_I'm not giving the hell up." _He told himself, curling even tighter into a ball, holding his revolver even more tightly than before.

"_My life may be pointless, hell; I might even be empty inside. But I need to solve this, for my sake, for… Izanami-san's sake. For everyone's."_

Adachi tightened his hold on the gun.

"_Not now. Screw this shit!"_

That was when the doors of Yukiko's Castle slammed open. Adachi scrambled to his feet, and shuddered when he saw hundreds, no _thousands, _of Shadows enter the castle, enter the area he was in. Adachi jumped to his feet, and ran, revolver held steadily in his hands.

The Shadows were hot on his heels, and Adachi found himself almost too tired and weary to continue. But he needed to continue, he had to.

If he wanted to survive, at least.

* * *

"_I'm sorry, Child Of Man." Izanami says, and looks up into the foggy sky._

* * *

Adachi ran and ran and ran, until he was almost positive that he wouldn't be able to run anymore. His body, beaten, battered and drained, screamed at him to stop, told him that he needed to take a rest. But Adachi wouldn't, he couldn't. Not with the horde of Shadows in every nook and cranny.

Adachi whipped around, and watched tentatively as a Frenzied Hablerie made its way up one of the many spiraling staircases in Yukiko's Castle, glinting yellow and striped blue in the dim light, tongue and large mouth dripping with drool.

Adachi lifted his revolver, aimed, and shot, the bullet ripping through the Hablerie, making it explode into darkness, into shadow itself. Adachi suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, and cringed as the gash in his arm from earlier began to sting, from the sudden movement.

He bit his lip, sucked in a deep breath, and ran.

They needed to find Adachi, and soon.

* * *

"Damn it." The tall man threw the chair across the room, making it splinter in two. The puppet backed away, glaring at the tall man ever so slightly.

"Dude! Watch the chairs!" The puppet admonished him, raising his hands up in the air.

"You want me to relax? Are you shitting me?" The tall man turned to him now, and curled his long, bony fingers into the collar of the puppet's shirt. "This whole thing is your goddamn fault! The plan could be down the crapper, because you're such a damn idiot!"

"Whoa, don't blame me! And, you're way too close!"

The tall man unfurled his fingers from the puppet's collar, and pushed him. The puppet staggered, and fell against the wall, he braced himself, and rubbed the back of his head. There'd be a bump there, for sure.

* * *

Souji led the way through the TV in Junes.

"_That idiot," _He thought. _"Going in without us. Moron."_


	28. Who's The Saddest Of Them All?

**This chapter is… blah.**

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Vindicated

Chapter 28: Who's The Saddest Of Them All?

_Mirror Mirror_

_On The Wall_

_Who's The Saddest Of Them All?_

_

* * *

  
_

A rumble. Soft, dark, angry. It echoed through the flagstone walls, past the crimson tapestries, and washed over Adachi like a coming death march. Inside the rumble, so soft and so dark, Adachi could hear the shrill music of his life slowly coming to an end. The pistol nearly fell from his fingers, the snapped lenses of his glasses poked him in the side, and Adachi paled considerably.

Something big was coming, something that would outmatch the giant horde of Shadows he was fighting. Something that would… likely kill him.

Adachi whipped around in the corridor he was in, and held his pistol to eye-level. Hope, the hope that the Investigation Team would come and save him, slipped from his fingers, from his grasp. Tentatively, Adachi wondered if this would be the end.

"_I'm going to die here." _Adachi thought to himself, holding his pistol slackly, with pale, shaky fingers. The gash in his arm bled, running over dried blood like slick ice. _"Not here. Not here, don't want to die here."_

His disheveled hair was also matted with his own blood, his jacket and tie were in tatters, and the final pieces of his sanity was beginning to unravel in the revelation that he could… possibly, die here. In Yukiko's Castle. In the world he had once stayed in for days, hiding from his reality.

"_Sorry, kid," _He thought of Souji, as another pulse of the rumble crept through the walls, seeping into his ears. _"Looks like it might be the end of the rope for me."_

He held his pistol with shaky hands, and repeated a silent mantra to himself. _"Shoot to kill, shoot to kill, shoot to kill…"_

A rumble seeped through the flagstone walls and Adachi nearly dropped his pistol as a new Shadow began creeping across the corridor in front of him. It was like an Avenger Knight, but burlier, steelier and colored a majestic shade of gold and silver. Darker, angrier, than most Shadows he had seen.

Adachi shook, fingers clenched tightly around the butt of his pistol. He was out of Spirit Power, and nearly no bullets. So what, what could he do now?

"_I-I'm going… to die here!"_

The Avenger Knight look-a-like came closer, swinging its long, swirled lance around, looking, glaring at Adachi through its golden helmet. The horse, the Shadow it sat on, breathed, small spouts of steam escaping its nostrils as yet another rumble echoed through the corridors.

"_Dachi-sa… Adachi-san! Old… n… re coming!" _Rise's voice whispered in his ears, and Adachi jumped, the pistol nearly falling from his hands. He tried to pull himself together, trying to dispel the constant nagging thought that he could, might, _possibly, _die here.

"_Kujikawa-san!" _He thought, replying to Rise's overly cheerful voice in his head. He thought about the Qalorie Magic commercials, about Rise dancing around on TV with a soda can in hand, blood-red hair waving in the air like some grand banner.

He pushed the thought out of his mind before he took it any further.

The fact that, yes, they were coming for him, brought a sad, almost callous smile to his lips. His harsh grip on his pistol slackened slightly as he was reminded that the Avenger Knight, the angry Shadow, was still coming towards him in his weakened state. He couldn't summon Bishamon, he was reminded, and that thought dragged his spirits back down.

What if the Investigation Team was too late? What then?

Adachi tried to run, he whipped around, ran, and tripped when he cringed at the pain in his shoulder. The gash in his arm was beginning to throb painfully, and hurt even more when he fell flat on his face on the flagstone floor.

But the pain was the least of his worries right now.

His pistol skidded across the floor, hitting the wall at the edge of the corridor, quite a few feet away from Adachi. Adachi looked up, paling as he watched his lifeline slowly ebb away. He scraped his fingernails against the flagstone floors, listening as the rumble of the Avenger Knight getting closer grew louder and louder.

Was this the end?

"_Kujikawa!" _He tried calling out. "_Souji! Shirogane!"_

No answer.

Was this the end? Was this really how everything was going to end?

Adachi tried futilely reaching for his pistol, but it was too far away, and the action made his shoulder stab painfully. He cringed, and lowered his arms, laying slackly on the ground, like someone who had just died, like a statue that had toppled over on its side. Adachi tried to get off the ground, but to no avail. He couldn't lift himself.

It hurt to even breathe.

He felt drained, and the fact that he was in a world not meant for humans, only emphasized that. This world drained him, made him weaker and weaker. This place was not meant for humans, that much was sure.

The rumble ceased. The Avenger Knight's shadow loomed over Adachi like a lone pallbearer at his funeral. Adachi froze, fingers clenched tightly into a pale fist, eyes set on the pistol that was out of his reach, on the pistol that was supposed to save him.

He was going to die here, wasn't he?

"_Souji, Shirogane, all of you, sayonara." _

"_Adachi-san!" _Rise's voice again, distant, echoing. _"Please hold on, we'll save you!"_

Adachi felt, _saw, _the shadow of his Shadow move, and watched helplessly and in pain as the Shadow, the gold and silver Avenger Knight gestured with its lance. He braced himself as the Shadow's disembodied voice chanted,

"Ziodyne!"

It was like someone had cracked a log across his back. There was the strange sensation of flying, no, he _was _flying through the air, across the corridor. There was, also the creepy sensation of electricity running through his veins. He felt his back snap wildly against the end of the corridor and Adachi slowly sunk to the floor, body throbbing painfully, eyes shut tightly as he tried to think past the pain.

"_Don't feel," _He told himself. _"Think."_

He opened a single eye narrowly, and caught sight of his pistol, merely centimeters away from his half-opened, slack, bruised hand.

The Avenger Knight was coming toward him now, slowly, purposefully. Adachi reached for his pistol shakily, and spat out a glob of blood on the floor. He lifted the pistol, and aimed, smiling ever so slightly with blood-stained teeth. The Avenger Knight, gold and silver and waving its lance around tightly, halted, waiting for him.

Adachi aimed, and he shot. _Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, click, click._

Several bullets ripped through the Avenger Knight, but they did nearly nothing. The Avenger Knight continued marching towards him, and Adachi smiled simply, shooting his pistol in vain.

This was the end, wasn't it?

_Click, click, click, cli-_

"Adachi-san!" Souji's voice. The pistol dropped from Adachi's slack hand, falling beside him with a loud clatter. Adachi closed his eyes, and prayed his thanks. He'd live another day then.

The Investigation Team crowded around the Avenger Knight, Rise shouting out her analysis, the team shouting out spells and letting their weapons rip through the Shadow.

"_The mirror." _Adachi spat out another glob of blood. _"I've found the missing link."_

Adachi blacked out, a stupid smile still plastered on his face.

* * *

_Inside the fog, Izanami frowned._

* * *

_May 6__th__ 2012 – Three Days Later_

It was the slow, steady beeping of some machine that woke Adachi up. He blinked his vision blurry and his mind groggy with fog. Where was he? The machines beeped interminably, at the same, mind-numbing pace every time, and Adachi curled a bandaged hand within some pale, snow-white sheets. There were tiny flecks of dried blood on his bandages, obviously a wound from something, somewhere.

What had happened?

Adachi continued to blink rapidly, his vision still blurry with sleep, his mind foggy and clouded as he tried to piece together what had happened.

"_The mirror!" _The fog lifted. _"I have to tell them about the mirror!"_

Adachi tried to sit upright, but a sudden pain slashed across his shoulders, and he fell back down on the gurney, groaning. He wouldn't be able to move, not for a while. The beeping of the machines escalated just a bit, but returned to their monotone when Adachi took a deep breath.

Well, **this **would be a boring few days.

"You're awake." A voice whispered, from beside him. The beeping of the machines escalated again when Adachi swiveled his head to look at his visitor. Was it Dojima? Souji? Perhaps Shirogane, who he could explain to?

In a cold steel chair, legs crossed and garbed in her usual disguise, a Moel Gas Station Uniform, stood Izanami, gray hair tucked behind her ears and cap pulled low over her eyes, turning the usually bright crimson red into a dark, deep brown. The beeping of the machines slowed again, and Adachi frowned.

Izanami frowned back.

"What? Are you not pleased to see me?"

"The mirror. You knew about it."

Izanami chuckled, a light, soft sound, "Perhaps. But I tried telling you, didn't I? The gray room, with my Thousand Curses."

Adachi tried to make himself comfortable, but wherever he turned, there was only pain. Sharp, unyielding pain. He remained still, deathly still, head tilted to get a good view of Izanami's amused face. Then, it hit him, like a speeding bullet train to a car on the train tracks.

Hadn't Izanami said that they, him and the Investigation Team, wouldn't be able to enter the Other World through a mirror?

"Wait," He said, commanded, as Izanami started to stand up, probably to get him something to drink. "You said we wouldn't be able to access the Other World through the mirror. That, since it wasn't yours, like the Midnight Channel was, we wouldn't be able to go through it."

A smile, so condescending and patronizing, spread across Izanami's face, and she sat back down, legs crossed, eyes fixed on Adachi's still form. She replied, voice smooth as glass, "Indeed I did, Child of Man. Do you realize now?"

"Someone, purposefully, or accidentally, gave me the power to go through mirrors." Adachi alleged, smiling a smug, almost devilish smile. "Dumbass."

His curse caused Izanami to frown, and her red eyes glittered beneath the shadows of her cap, "Yes. Dumbass, as you so eloquently put it, indeed."

Adachi looked up at her, and wondered why she was here.

"Anyone see you come in?" He asked, now trying to make small talk.

"Your… friend, was in here earlier. Ryotaro-san, was it? I told him I was a friend of yours."

Adachi smiled, "He ask you questions?"

"He demanded to know who the hell I was, and thus I told him I was your friend." Izanami crossed her arms over her chest, and frowned, red eyes cast down to the ground.

"What about Souji-kun, and the others?" Adachi now frowned, hoping that they were smart enough not to cause a giant scene.

Izanami chuckled, another soft, light, lilting sound, "They watched me come in, but said nothing. I presume that they are waiting for me to be done talking with you, so that they can come in."

"Oh, then please don't leave." Adachi said, his voice lilting, just as hers had. Izanami laughed this time, the sound harsh and rough, as if she hadn't laughed in a while.

"It's been a long time since I heard something like that, Adachi-san." She whispered distantly, arms cross over her chest, smiling a sad, almost depressing smile. As if she were thinking about something that had happened, a long time ago.

"_Izanagi." _Adachi thought. "_She's thinking about Izanagi."_

"I'm sorry." Adachi whispered back, softly, soothingly. "I didn't mean to-"

"It is fine." Izanami chuckled, smiling a truer smile now. "It is all in the past."

What that was supposed to mean, Adachi had no clue.

Izanami stood from the cold, steel chair. She murmured, "I will go get coffee. That should allow you some time to speak with your friends about the 'missing link'."

Adachi moved a hand over his stomach, eyes hardening like frozen bits of ice.

"Okay. You do that."

* * *

**Adachi can't handle the p~ain~~!!!**


	29. The Escape Artist

**Sorry this took so long guys. I've been really busy with things lately and, gah.**

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Vindicated

Chapter 29: The Escape Artist

_Oh, don't you wish I was a…_

_Fly on the wall!?_

_

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_

When Izanami left, it had only been Souji who had come in. Perhaps… the others, were… annoyed at Adachi? Though the young detective wouldn't admit it, he was happy it had only been Souji. Souji was… much easier to talk to. More eloquent, yet kinder and less cynical than the precise, equally eloquent Shirogane. That kid was a sharp as a needle; she'd know when Adachi was lying.

And, if Adachi needed to lie about how he came to be inside the TV World, he would lie. Though, hopefully, with Souji, there would be no need to lie. Souji had understanding, and perhaps he wouldn't pry Adachi on how he got the power to enter through mirrors. Because, Adachi honestly had no idea. And it pained Adachi's pride to know that if Souji asked, he wouldn't be able to give a real answer.

At this point, Adachi really was getting sick of the 'I don't know's and 'I can't remember's. His memory was shitty, everything was foggy, and he honestly, truthfully, wasn't sure what the hell happened when he got the power to enter the mirrors.

There had to be something that he was missing. It had to be staring him straight in the damn face.

"Hey, kid." Adachi smiled weakly, listening half-heartedly to the beeping machines in the hospital. He watched Souji carefully, like a cat would to a mouse, and after a few seconds of vaguely awkward silence, added, "So, do I look awful?"

"Terrible." Souji smiled back, sitting at the foot of his hospital bed. "You look dead, Adachi-san."

"Thanks. I feel dead." Adachi replied lightly, frowning now.

Souji stood languidly at the foot of his bed, leaning against the steel bed post slightly. A few seconds of silence, broken only by the sound of the monotone beeping of the hospital's machines, passed between them, before Adachi quietly asked,

"How long have I been out? I never asked Izanami, and she never told me."

"Three days." Souji replied, smiling slightly. "We've been visiting you."

"Because you want answers." Adachi grimaced slightly as he tried to sit upright. "Not because you care."

"Dojima-san and Izanami came because they cared." Souji murmured, softly, as if trying to coax Adachi into saying something. "What makes you think we can't care as well?"

"Past experience." Adachi rolled onto his side, trying to get comfortable, though also trying not to face Souji. "You didn't kill me back then, only because you didn't want to be like me. If it even _was _me."

"We didn't want to." Souji whispered, moving to sit in front of Adachi in the steel chair Izanami had occupied only minutes before. He crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at Adachi sternly. "But, you do know why I'm here."

"Answers." Adachi smiled, a smile that was vaguely reminiscent of his Shadow's. A smile cynical and distant, a smile that sent a slight chill down Souji's spine.

"Go on," Adachi added. "Ask."

Souji sighed, leaning against the bed post slightly. There was something in his gray eyes when he looked at Adachi, something like disbelief, and even a little suspicion. Did they suspect him now? No, they always had, of that, Adachi was sure.

"How did you get into the TV World?"

Adachi sighed, and tried sitting upright again. He could this time, just a little, but he couldn't really move. Anytime he tried, his stomach pains stabbed lightly at him, making him cringe darkly. He leaned against the down pillow, breathing in the antiseptic smell of the hospital.

"I came home after going out, and I fell through the mirror."

"The mirror?" Souji sounded incredibly confused. And, hell, Adachi didn't blame him. He himself was confused!

"That was the missing link." Adachi explained, frowning slightly. "The other way into the Midnight Channel."

Souji paled. He looked every bit the ghost, with silver hair and eyes, and skin as pale as Adachi's hospital sheets. "Shit, Adachi-san."

Adachi snickered, smiling ever so slightly, "Someone gave me the power. No, not Izanami. Someone else, without knowing it."

"Someone did so, unknowingly? Then who is it?"

"Dunno." Adachi shrugged. "We're going to find out, though."

Souji sighed, fingers curling tightly around the end of the bed. Adachi could be infuriating sometimes. Souji wondered if the older man did it on purpose just to annoy him. The corners of Adachi's lips turned upward, mocking Souji slightly.

"Everything's foggy, Souji-kun." Adachi said, finally, wrapping his fingers within his pale hospital sheets. "My memories aren't coming back anytime soon."

"We'll find them." Souji assured Adachi, nodding. The silverette was being sincere, this Adachi knew, but would he really be able to help him? Really?

The beeping of the hospital machines was the only noise between them for a while. It was an odd scene, Souji leaned against the end of the bed, gripping the metal bars, Adachi staring into his bed sheets, outgrown hair brushing against his forehead, eyes vacant, empty.

"Adachi-san," Souji's voice turned quiet, serious. Deadly serious. Adachi glanced up, shooting the silverette a small, insincere smile. Souji was glaring now, eyes sharp like daggers, demeanor heavy with something Adachi couldn't place.

"How do you feel about Izanami?"

Adachi froze, blushing ever so slightly. His eyes widened, his lips parted slightly. Did… did Souji really just…?

"Why did she come visit you? Why did she really?"

"She's helping me." Adachi replied quickly, too quickly, judging by how Souji narrowed his eyes when he said it. "She's helping all of us, but… but mostly me."

"Helping you with what? Love?" Souji leaned in heavily, staring at Adachi with as much scrutiny as a full-grown hawk. Oddly, the young detective felt like one of his old science experiments, back when he went to high school. He felt like the mouse he'd watched run around in circles, as his father showed him the effects drugs had on drug addicts.

Oh yes, he felt like a science experiment that was going horribly, horribly wrong.

"Get out." Adachi murmured, softly, not holding any assertiveness. Souji didn't move.

"Souji, get the _hell_ out!" His head jerked up, his eyes locked with Souji's and Souji calmly moved towards the door.

"Thank you, Adachi-san." He said, before opening the hospital door and slamming it shut behind him. Adachi moved onto his side, rolling himself up in the comforter, staring out the foggy window that the hospital janitors really needed to clean.

What was Souji trying to insinuate? That he loved Izanami? That they were a thing?

"_Well, he can go screw himself." _Adachi angrily thought, trying to make himself comfortable, despite the painful wounds and bruises all over him. This could take long, he knew, being in the hospital. But he needed to get better, soon, to solve this mystery, once and for all.

Just… how long would it take?

How long would he be forced to wait? To wonder?

He hoped not too long.

The door opened again, and Adachi pressed his face deeply into the pillow as he saw who it was. The very person he didn't want to see, not after what happened with Souji.

Izanami walked, cat-like, all softly and quietly, to the metal chair. She took a seat, crossing her legs, and arms, and fixing Adachi with a ruby, dark stare.

"The boy left, he looked… unhappy." She murmured, softly, watching Adachi's reaction. Adachi gave her a crooked, insincere smile, before replying,

"He thinks I love you."

"Do you?" She was leaning forward now, face lighting up. Her lips curled into a smile that rivaled the mysteriousness of the Mona Lisa, and Adachi had no idea what to say. His stomach flipped, and after a few seconds of just that, them staring each other down, Adachi whispered,

"I… I don't know."

Izanami stood, and leaned just down beside Adachi's bed. She outstretched her hand, cupping his cheek softly. He went hot, very hot, lips parted in surprise. She took advantage of his surprise, slamming her lips, pale, beautiful, onto his. She stuck her tongue into his mouth before he could react and pull his lips shut. She prodded his tongue with hers, and something in Adachi stirred. His hands, bandaged, bleeding, flew up to her cheeks, pulling him towards her.

They dueled with their tongues, and Adachi's hands flew to her Moel jacket, ripping the zipper down, revealing a gasoline-stained black shirt. He pulled her stomach towards him, and she climbed onto the hospital bed, leaning on top of him. Their bodies were inches apart, and Adachi ached to pull her further towards him. He pulled her waist again and…

Then the door opened.

And there, shocked beyond all disbelief, stood Ryotaro Dojima. Adachi stopped, and Izanami froze on top of him, removing her lips from his, head swiveling around to stare at the intruder owlishly. The shadows of her Moel cap hid her unearthly eyes, thankfully, but Adachi wouldn't have been surprised if Izanami flew a spell at Dojima or something.

Instead, Izanami swung her body over his, climbed back to the floor, and zipped up her jacket. She sat back down on the metal chair, and crossed her legs.

Dojima scoffed, and gawked at her. His cheeks had turned an unearthly shade of red, and he looked so embarrassed at what he had walked upon. He looked at Izanami, who was staring at him nonchalantly. Why was she always so nonchalant? It really made Adachi wonder if he was really being used as a pawn.

Dojima said, scoffing still at the sight, "I need to talk to him alone, if you… don't mind."

Izanami, without saying a word, stood up, walked calmly past Dojima, and shut the door calmly behind her.

There was a long, awkward silence that passed between him and Dojima.

"She's your girlfriend, huh?"

"Uh, no it's not like-"

"Oh I see how it is."

I see how it is. Tch, that was what adults used when they didn't want to say the wrong thing. Adachi frowned, but he was flushed and panting ever so slightly. Dojima was staring at Adachi, and Adachi stared at the hospital sheets in shame.

"Adachi."

Adachi looked up.

"You're father escaped prison yesterday, and there wasn't a single record of him leaving the prison."

* * *

Kataki Adachi moved swiftly through the yellow fog of the Other World, laughing ever so slightly to himself. He was free! Free! He ran quickly through the circus tent, his world, his distorted, lying world. This place was great, beautiful.

He could still feel the thrill, the thrill of pulling Yumi Ozawa into this world, of watching his son fall haphazardly into the world.

That man, that tall man, was right when he said this place would be grand.

Kataki didn't much like the nickname the tall man had given him, though. "The Knight" sounded like a chess piece, like a pawn. And Kataki didn't much like chess either.

Kataki laughed, and decided to wait when he reached the end of the circus.

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter, and the long wait!**

**Also, for any Heavy Rain fans out there, I have a new story out called 'Cyanide And Happiness', and I'd greatly appreciate it if you guys dropped by and gave a review!  
**


	30. His Father's Circus

**The arc ends next chapter!**

**Get ready for the next one!**

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Vindicated

Chapter 30: His Father's Circus

_It's all good-natured fun and games…_

_Here down at the Dark Woods Circus!_

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His first reaction had been to get dressed, ignore the pain that stabbed at him from all over, and to walk, with Dojima supporting him, for once, out of his room.

Izanami was absent from the corridor outside, indicating that she had no intention of returning to Adachi, when he was done with Dojima. Though Adachi was thankful, the embarrassment of Dojima walking in on them hadn't totally dissipated, it hurt Adachi slightly to think she wouldn't wait for him.

The brats, his friends, maybe ex-friends now, and not just Souji, were talking in hushed whispers. They were silenced however, when the door had opened and Dojima and Adachi limped outside. They looked surprised, especially at seeing Adachi hanging on Dojima's arm. Adachi looked at them, nodding his head out of Dojima's line of sight. He tried to tell them, silently, that he knew who it was.

Kataki. His father.

It had to be.

Adachi leaned heavily on Dojima, as they passed through the hospital, his face was contorted slightly in pain, but it was a pain he could live through. He needed to find Kataki. He needed to. He had to! Adachi leaned on Dojima, as the pair walked through the hospital corridors, awkwardly down staircases and through the doors.

Adachi wanted to kill someone.

* * *

Kataki sat amongst the carnival, legs crossed, orange jumpsuit sticking out amongst the colorfulness of his surroundings. This was his circus, and he was the ringleader. For the first time since he was imprisoned, for life, in that god-forsaken prison, he felt alive. Powerful. In control of what happened.

It was all about control. Always about control. Had been. Was. Would be.

Control.

Power.

Kataki laughed to himself, a snickering, angry, hollow laugh. He knew that his son would try to find him. Maybe even try to kill him. That thought excited Kataki. A smile split across Kataki's face, a smile so reminiscent, so much like the one Adachi had in Magatsu Inaba, that it was like looking at a mirror image.

This man truly was Adachi's father. The same blood ran through their veins. The blood of murderers, of would-be killers, or men controlled by outside forces.

Kataki frowned, the smile fading as quickly as it had come. There was the matter of the man that had given Kataki the power to go through the mirrors. What would he ask of Kataki next, when the man's son was out of the way?

In truth, Kataki was suspicious. And though the man wasn't one to ask questions, the tall man was too enigmatic for his liking. There was something about the man that pissed Kataki off. He didn't like secrets, and that tall man was keeping secrets from him.

Kataki hated secrets.

He leaned back in the makeshift, colorful throne inside his circus, inside his carnival. Legs crossed, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with something like anticipation. Anxiety.

He was anxious. Anxious to come face-to-face with his son again. Anxious to finally settle what seemed like one of the greatest family feuds in the world.

Kataki was anxious for a blood bath.

A blood bath where he would arise victorious.

* * *

Dojima lied.

They thought Adachi had helped his father out of prison. Plausible, considering Adachi had been in prison. But entirely, completely untrue.

Adachi hated Kataki.

Couldn't they, the rest of the police, understand that? There was nothing to be salvaged from their relationship. There was no love there, no caring. Adachi held a hatred for Kataki that could not and would not be quelled. So why, why did he have to sit in the interrogation room and listen to the bullshit that Dojima was beginning to spew?

"Adachi! Are you paying attention!?"

Adachi stared at the cold, gray table. His black eyes were narrowed slightly, in anger. The pain in his body had dulled, slightly, and it would throb whenever Adachi squirmed or shifted in his seat. Dojima was sitting across from him, the only officer in the room. It had been Dojima, who had thought Adachi was the culprit, was Kataki's accomplice, and no one else. No one else knew about this, save Adachi and Dojima.

This was their quibble. No one else would be involved.

"Yes," Adachi hissed, looking up at Dojima, glaring at him. "_Sir."_

It had meant to sound sarcastic. Bitter. Adachi didn't like liars, much. Which, he assumed, made him a little more than hypocritical. After all, how many times had he'd lied to Dojima, or to Souji? He didn't like being _lied to. _The truth, as demonic and dangerous as it could be sometimes, often proved a much safer route.

Of course, there were always those little things that deserved to be shrouded in fog.

Dojima's brow furrowed, and his jaw clenched tightly. He looked annoyed, a fact that shone in his steel-gray eyes. Above them, the clock began to tick ever closer to midnight. Adachi glanced at it, and wondered how the brats, his friends, were doing on discovering who the mirror man was. He hoped that Souji and Naoto were smart enough to deduce what his nod meant.

Adachi felt that the motion had been a little enigmatic. A little mysterious.

"Adachi," Dojima sighed, and Adachi fixed his gaze back on the older man. "Tell me what you know, already."

His gaze had turned softer. He was pleading with his assistant. His partner. When Adachi didn't answer, Dojima sighed, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and a bright red lighter. He took one thin cigarette, stuck it in his mouth, and lit it. He took a drag, and breathed out, a plume of smoke going up in the air.

"I'm going to go take a break. Maybe you can think about what you need to say when I come back."

Adachi didn't say anything, only stared at the hard, cold table in front of him. He didn't want to say anything. Not to Dojima. Dojima couldn't help. The man didn't know about the other world, about the missing link he and his nephew's friends had been searching for. (And finally found.)

Dojima nearly slammed the door behind him, breaking Adachi out of his reverie. The young detective let out a thankful sigh, and leaned in his chair.

He was stuck here. He wouldn't be able to face his father, along with the Investigation Team. He would have to hope that they, his friends, his only allies, could defeat the man.

And get him out of here.

There was a flicker, a sound of snapping, and Adachi jumped in his seat and whipped around. His eyes grew wide with surprise, his lips parted, and he clenched the edge of the chair.

He had very nearly forgotten about the TV in the room. This room… this was where…

Adachi shook off that thought. He didn't want to think about that. Not now. Adachi turned back around, shooting the square wall-clock above the interrogation table a quick glance. It was midnight. And it had started raining halfway to the police station when he and Dojima had been driving here.

Adachi turned around once more, and focused on the flickering image on the TV. He knew what would come on, or rather who would come on. Not to the tiniest, final detail, but he had a basic guess. Knowing his father, the man would probably taunt him.

"_The coward." _He thought spitefully, black eyes narrowing with something like… distaste. Anger at what had happened.

If he could get out of here, he could, no would, have his revenge.

"_If I can get out of here." _He reminded himself. No need to get so excited, after all. He needed to be able to get out.

The screen flickered sharply, and the image became suddenly vivid. Surreal.

It was a circus. An abomination of reds and yellows, a vaguely creepy song blasting from the TV. The Midnight Channel. Within the circus, stood a tall, gaunt man garbed in a disgustingly orange jumpsuit, arms outstretched.

It was like looking into a mirror. Kataki's face was every bit the same as Adachi's, save the rough, broken voice, and the long, choppy hair.

"Tohru-kun," Kataki sang, his face lighting up, like a waxen doll held to the light. "Aren't you going to come get me? Don'tcha have the balls?"

His smile spread, mirroring the one Adachi himself held in Magatsu Inaba.

"You know where to find me, kid." The image was beginning to flicker again, sharply cutting through Kataki's body. "I know you want to find me."

Adachi was already half-way through the TV screen when the Midnight Channel ended.

* * *

The screen flickered, then ended, sharply, and Souji stood stock-still in front of the screen. His eyes were narrowed with something like suspicion, but the suspicion then dissolved. His face turned blank, and he felt something like… realization strike him.

Adachi had tried to tell them that he knew. They didn't understand the nod he gave them, the Investigation Team. Only that it meant something.

Now he knew.

Souji jumped as his cell began to vibrate on the table, causing a clackitty-sounding noise that was incredibly jarring. Snatching it from the table, Souji glanced at the mini-screen on the front of the phone to see that it wasn't Yosuke who was calling, as he usually did after the Midnight Channel, but _Naoto._

"_She must have thought of something." _Souji thought to himself, nibbling at his bottom lip. He flipped open the silver cell carelessly, and held it to his ear, letting out a breathy, but pleasant,

"Hello?"

"Senpai, it is vital that we go into the TV tonight!"

Souji froze, confusion crossing his face, and he asked,

"Why, Naoto?"

"There's a TV in the interrogation room at the police station," She sounded out-of-breath. She was already on the move. If Souji strained his hearing, he could hear the rain, the storm outside. "Detective Adachi is there!"

* * *

Adachi was pissed.

Pissed as he scrambled through his father's colorful world, pissed as he turned a Shadow into a suitably strange-looking piece of Swiss cheese, and even more pissed that he had, was forced to, listen to his father's taunts.

"_Man, kid! You never do give up, do you!?"_

Adachi wondered if anyone else, besides him, perhaps the Investigation Team, could hear the man. Would they feel _sorry _for him? Maybe _apologize _for being so insensitive? Adachi frowned, looked down his barrel, and shot a snake-like Shadow that crawled around the corner. The snake-like Shadow recoiled, disappearing back into the corner.

He'd reached it.

The end.

A veil-like, no, curtain-like door hung in front of him. It was colored like bright lemons, gaudy and unsightly and simply just plain unappealing. Then again, that could've just been the massive amount of flipping Adachi's stomach was doing.

He was going to face his father. With overwhelming evidence that he…

Adachi shook his head. It was best not to think about it. He'd been doing that through the entire area; thinking. He was done with that now. Now, he needed action.

And action, was what he deserved, after everything he'd been through for this bastard.

Adachi sauntered forward, gun held tightly, too tightly, within his palm. A drop of sweat dripped down his forehead, running down his clenched jaw line and finally dropping onto the floor in a indiscernible piece of water.

He flung open the lemon curtain with one hand, gun shooting up to eye level, aiming at a man that sat cross-legged in a colorful throne, sipping on a drink that a Shadow, garbed in equally gaudy clothes, handed him. Sake, Adachi guessed, from the smell that completely and totally enveloped this room. Adachi clenched his jaw tighter, and watched, stock-still, the man at the end of the room as he got up from the chair and wandered down towards Adachi.

It was like looking at a mirror. Kataki's black eyes and feathered hair, his sharp, long nose and jaw line, the smile that was creeping Adachi out every minute it stood there… it was like looking into a mirror. Like looking at someone who was a familiar stranger.

"Hey, son." Kataki murmured, giggling ever so slightly. "How are you doing?" His black eyes gleamed, glittered like black beetles, and Adachi frowned.

"You're the missing link, aren't you?" Adachi whispered back, holding the gun at his side tightly. "You killed them."

"Them?" Kataki was grinning now. "Who's them?"

Adachi raised the gun, and placed the barrel to Kataki's forehead. The man was still grinning crazily, despite having a pistol thrust into his head. Adachi let out a deep breath.

He needed to do this.

No, he _wanted _to do this.

"Adachi-san!" A voice, a familiar one, yelled out. "Stop!"

It was Souji, and the Investigation Team.

* * *

***Sigh* Second Arc is almost over. The final chapter of this arc is coming up.**


	31. Bang Bang

**End of Arc 2!**

**And I just realized… we're halfway through the entire story…**

***Cries***

**I am also incredibly unhappy with how this turned out, but I hope you all like it.**

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**

Vindicated

Chapter 31: Bang Bang

_Bang Bang, he shot me down._

_Bang Bang, I hit the ground._

_

* * *

  
_

Adachi's finger was curled around the pistol's trigger, and the barrel was pressed, roughly, against the grinning Kataki's forehead. It had been the sudden arrival of his friends that had prevented him from killing the man in front of him, from killing the man that had to be, had to be, the killer.

Kataki had to the mastermind. He had to be the one who used Souji's Shadow, who broke into his home, who ordered the kidnapping of Nanako, who lured his own son's Shadow out, who gave his son the power to go through mirrors to possibly kill him.

It had to be Kataki. It had to be.

So why was Souji stopping him?

Didn't Souji, didn't all of them, want this too? Or was it just him?

"Adachi!" Souji cried out, holding his double-handed sword behind him fearlessly, the rest of the Investigation Team flanking his sides, holding their own weapons as well. "Adachi! Stop!"

"_Don't." _Whispered Izanami, a voice at the edge of the young detective's hearing. She startled him, a fact that seemed to amuse Kataki, who's toothy grin only grew wider. _"Don't, Child Of Man. Tohru-kun."_

Adachi's finger froze on the trigger. Kataki yelled, a yell meant for everyone to hear,

"What, Tohru? Can't kill me? You couldn't kill me back then, so I suppose it would only make sense that you can't kill me now."

Souji and the others lowered their weapons, interests peaked. Naoto and Souji shared a knowing look, and Adachi pressed the barrel harder against Kataki's skull. It was then that Adachi had noticed how thick the fog around them was. His glasses had not been repaired, in fact, he'd only been able to navigate through this god-forsaken circus through rage. He had wanted to see the truth, with all his heart, and so he was able to find his way.

But now, now he was starting to feel the effects of the fog. Adachi brought a hand up to his forehead feverishly, wiping the sweat that was beginning to drip along his hairline. Kataki's eyes twitched, tauntingly, as if he were begging his son to say something.

"See?" Kataki continued, eyes going past Adachi's shoulder, locking on the Investigation Team. "You're getting all nervous. You don't want to kill me, do you?"

"Shut up." Adachi whispered, frowning, finger curling even more around the trigger. He was growing pale, now, afraid. The fog, yellow, a nasty, mustard yellow, was hugging him and Kataki. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He repeated, feeling feverish and sick.

"Shut up? Why? You're my son, aren't you? Aren't fathers supposed to _talk _with their sons? Give them _guidance?"_

"You're no father!" Adachi said, loudly, and the Investigation Team winced behind him. "You're a lying bastard!"

"And you're a _sniveling bitch." _Kataki retorted, lips curling into a mocking sneer. He was purposefully provoking his son. Was he trying to get himself killed? This was what Souji wondered, and the silverette promptly lifted his double-handed sword again, in preparation of jumping into battle in case anything happened.

But he was being foolish. If something did happen, it would be Adachi shooting Kataki, and there would be nothing to fight.

So they needed to keep Adachi from shooting Kataki. And Adachi was in such a mad, insane, Magatsu Inaba state that they needed to be careful that the man would not shoot the Investigation Team. So Souji spoke, yelled, once more,

"Adachi! We can handle this! Just put the gun down!"

Adachi yelled back, screamed, his voice rough, raw with something that Souji couldn't quite place,

"No! Beat it, kid."

Adachi pushed Kataki's head with the barrel of the pistol, making the man stumble back a bit. He whispered, half to himself and half to the man in front of him,

"He's _mine._"

"_Tohru!" _Izanami's voice resounded sharply in his head, and he froze. _"Stop!"_

"Remember when you almost died in that car crash with your stupid cousin? When I didn't visit you in the hospital?" Kataki was rambling now, picking at the dirt under his fingernails disinterestedly. He didn't seem to mind that Adachi still had the pistol pressed to his head, or that his son seemed immersed in killing him. Adachi didn't answer, and the Investigation Team looked panicked, as if they didn't know what to do.

"I didn't visit you," Kataki continued, now biting the fingernail he was trying to get dirt from under, he sounded incredibly bored, as if this entire thing was very stupid to him. "Because you were an annoying brat unworthy of my time. God knows why Miki, oh pardon, your mummy, visited you. You always were a sniveling bitch. From day one."

"_Ignore him." _Bishamon, his Persona, whispered. _"He's unworthy of your hate. Your focus."_

"I said shut up!" Adachi yelled once more, hissed, his voice raucous with anger. Something bobbed in the back of his throat. _Sadness? _Why was he feeling sad?

This man, the one standing in front of him in a bright orange jumpsuit, deserved no sadness.

But with the mention of Adachi's mother, Kataki had gone too far.

"Don't talk about my mother." Adachi murmured, but everyone had heard it, and the Investigation Team seemed to grow only more panicked with each passing second.

Then, it happened.

Adachi's wrist flicked, and he aimed at Kataki's foot…

And he pulled the pistol's trigger.

**BANG!**

There was a strange spraying of blood, a howling scream, and the Investigation Team pounced. Souji grabbed Adachi's right arm as the man pulled the trigger again, aiming for Kataki's mid-section. Another bullet flew through the air, lodging itself with the screaming man's abdomen.

**BANG!**

Blood spouted from Kataki's abdomen, spraying Kanji, who'd come forward to grab Adachi's left arm, Souji and Adachi. Adachi shot once more, aiming for nothing except at Kataki. This bullet hit Kataki's shoulder, making the man swirl like some dancing ballerina, before collapsing on the ground.

**BANG!**

Kanji ripped the gun from Adachi's fingers, and the pistol skittered across the floor, hitting one of the curtains that made up the gigantic circus tent. Adachi was breathing, heavily, chest heaving with every breath he made. Kataki was crawling, throat raw from screaming, his body moving in a puddle of his own blood.

"Tohru-kun." A voice, an angelic whisper that made everyone freeze.

Adachi was the one who froze the most, though, for he knew that voice all-too-well. How many times had it given him things to think about? How many times had it infuriated him? How many times had it haunted him in his dreams?

Izanami stood at the entrance of the gigantic circus tent, garbed in her flowing white robes, a frown marking her pale, ghostly face, her red eyes glowing with disappointment and a hint of anger.

Seeing that Adachi would no longer do anything, Kanji and Souji released the young detective's arms. The circus tent had grown silent, save the heaving breaths of the dying Kataki. But no one paid the man any mind. He would die soon, from blood loss.

Adachi's head was bent low, and he refused to face Izanami. The Investigation Team exchanged furtive glances, they felt as if they were intruding on something incredibly personal, like reading a young girl's diary.

After all, they had not yet gotten over the fact that in order to teleport Adachi into the Other World, Izanami had kissed them. Hence the oddness and awkwardness of being there while the two were in the room. That, and the fact that Adachi had, essentially, murdered someone.

"He was not the killer," Izanami spoke in a low, frightening whisper. Her silver eyebrows were curled downward in an expression of distaste, and she took a step forward gingerly, cautiously. "You idiot."

"I know."

Everyone stared at Adachi, mouths agape, eyes wide.

If he knew then…?

Why?

"You did not." Izanami's voice was mad now, a scaling mad, like that of a raging dinosaur. "You fool."

"Yes. I did." Adachi muttered, low, but Izanami obviously heard, because her pale lips curled back in anger. "Does it matter? He deserved to die."

"You didn't know he wasn't, but you did want to kill him." Souji spoke this time, and everyone, including Adachi, looked up at him. Souji's face was expressionless, as always, but there was a certain sharp quality to his eyes that made Adachi realize that Souji was frowning upon him.

Souji was the fool, Adachi thought, eyes narrowing.

"Who wouldn't?" Adachi asked, curtly, watching Souji. "He was the missing link. He knew something. He knew who it was."

"Fool!" Izanami's voice rang sharply throughout the circus tent, and everyone looked at her, including Adachi. Her hands were clenched at her sides, her face was contorted in an anger that seemed so fierce. She reminded Adachi of a prowling tigress, ready to pounce on her prey. Izanami took a daunting step forward, a step that seemed so graceful, despite her fuming anger. "You fool! You were to let him live!"

She was so beautiful, in Adachi's eyes, that the young detective could not bear to give her a retort, or an answer. He succumbed to watching her, black eyes locking with her crimson. The Investigation Team was becoming obviously uncomfortable, standing there, that some of the members were looking around, restlessly.

It was Rise who had noticed.

"Kataki!" She gasped, and everyone glanced at the panicking red-head. "H-He's gone!"

Everyone glanced around, eyes widening with disbelief. Their disbelief quickly turned to belief when they realized that…

The body of Kataki Adachi was gone, and that there was nothing but a bloody puddle left in his wake. Adachi looked to the left, to where Kanji had flung his pistol and saw that, that too, was gone.

"He took the pistol!" Adachi exclaimed, breath hitching with disbelief. How had… how had the man survived!? He shouldn't have been able to move!

"There's a trail, Adachi-san." Naoto noted, as coolly as ever, pointing at the said trail with her forefinger. The group, Adachi, Izanami, and the Investigation Team, began to run, following the trail, forgetting the argument for now.

Kataki was alive!

They could question him!

Adachi was, of course, not happy. He had hoped to put the man in his grave once and for all, had hoped to get revenge for his younger brother and mother.

But now, now that was all for naught.

The group continued to follow the trail in silence, save for the sound of their footsteps and Teddie's interminable squeaking, until they reached an incredibly shadowy part of the circus tent.

And at the end of this shadowy corridor…

Sat Kataki, holding his son's pistol to his head.

The man was sitting with his legs folded beneath him, butterfly style, holding Adachi's pistol almost lazily to his temples. He was grinning, a grin full of malice and madness. And when everyone saw what he was doing, they immediately halted, mouths agape once more.

Only one mouth remained closed. Adachi's. He was smiling, smirking, a smirk that reminded one of a man dying of stroke.

"Don't you dare-!" Souji hissed, stepping forward, looming above the sitting man. Kataki looked up at him, grinning that crazy, wild grin.

"I didn't kill them." Kataki murmured, loudly enough for all to hear. He was still bleeding, from where Adachi had wounded him, but the bullet holes didn't seem to bother him much, and he seemed happy, sitting there, surrounded by people that reminded him of pallbearers at a funeral.

They all froze, blinking at Kataki's answer.

"Say hello to Ouji for me, and mom too." Said Adachi.

Everyone looked down, realizing what was too happen, and that they would be too late to stop it. That they _wouldn't_ be able to stop it.

Izanami and Adachi exchanged glances, then watched as Kataki curled his forefinger around the pistol's trigger, looked at his son, and ended his life.

**BANG!**

* * *

_May 9__th__ 2012_

_Three Days Later_

Adachi was on the roof at Junes.

The end of his cigarette turned a bright cherry red as he inhaled the saving grace. He breathed out through his nose, a plume of smoke rising from his nostrils and slowly curling through the air until it dissipated completely and Adachi could no longer see it. He was sitting on the edge of the roof, one foot dangling down, hanging in the air, the rest of his body sitting on the roof's fence-like edge.

It wasn't windy up there, in fact, it was quite hot. Summer was finally coming.

Adachi was dressed in all black, his shirt neatly ironed, his tie straight, his jacket buttoned and not rumpled. His hair had remained as it always was, sticking up in five million directions. But Adachi did not feel the need to comb his hair.

After all, this was the third time he'd been there to see the burial of a family member.

Adachi had thought he would be the only one going to Kataki's funeral, yet he was proved wrong yet again. Izanami had joined him, and so had Dojima, Nanako and Souji, though it was plainly obvious that they all felt very uncomfortable going to a funeral for someone they did not know.

After burying Kataki, the group had left him alone, and when Adachi was sure they were out of eyeshot, the young detective spat on his father's grave before buying a pack of smokes at the nearest place he could find them and retreating to the roof at Junes, where he was positive that no one would find him.

If they bothered to look, of course.

"That's a dirty habit." Someone said, their voice rich with slight disgust. Adachi turned his head away from the glowering sunset and towards whomever had come to the roof.

Izanami stood before him, garbed in a frilly black dress, which she had worn to his father's funeral. She looked stunning, to say the least, but Adachi refrained from telling her so.

For he was in quite a pissy mood.

"Helps." He replied, turning back to the sunset. "For the stress."

"Humans are so… filthy." She exclaimed, walking towards him, her footsteps soft. She was standing beside him now, as he leaned on the ledge, cigarette held delicately between his middle finger and pointed finger, the arm to which the fingers belonged to laying lazily against his bent knee.

"They've always been." Adachi said, conversationally, as if they were talking about something like the weather.

"I know something else that helps with stress."

"Do you?"

"Follow me, Child Of Man."

* * *

Izanami pressed him against the bed in his apartment, pinning him to the sheets. She was ripping off his shirt, as he sucked at the crook of her neck, fingers tangled within her silver hair.

Yes, this would do just fine.

* * *

**I swear to God, if I get someone screaming 'Hentai! Hentai! I want Hentai!' I'm going to have to strangle a bitch.**

**Or write it.**

**Muahahaha.**

**Second Arc's done with! The Third Arc, On Myo Ji, shall begin!**


	32. The Letter

**I totally forgot an incredibly important plot device in the last chapter. And realized it after I posted that shitty chapter up. So, after cursing myself out, I decided to figure out a way to put the said device in this chapter.**

**Gawd, I'm such a frigging moron sometimes.**

**On an unrelated note, I have way too much fun humiliating Adachi.**

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Vindicated

Chapter 32: The Letter

_I won't tell you how to live your life…_

_So please stay far away from mine._

_

* * *

  
_

_May 10__th__ 2012_

The tall man held two figures, two pawns between his fingers. A black bishop and a black knight, his gray eyes were narrowed, contemplating, as he waited for his puppet yet again. The bishop and the knight were now gone from the chess board, the game.

This had been something that the tall man had not foreseen. The Knight had been just as clever, as he was mad. And the Knight had seen the tall man for what he really was.

It was this thought that made the tall man fling the two pawns to the ground, where they lolled lazily to feet of the walking puppet, who had opened his mouth to greet the tall man. The puppet looked down, watching as the bishop bumped against his toes, and the knight flew by his other foot.

"The Knight left a letter." The tall man solemnly said. "Left a letter to explain things."

"Addressed to _him?" _The puppet hissed, grinding his teeth, spitting the last word as if it were something awful, like rat poison.

The tall man nodded, numbly, his fedora casting a shadow across his pale features.

* * *

The Velvet Room looked just like it had when Adachi had first arrived. Going up interminably to God-knows-where, that same shade of ultramarine that was still so very strange and surreal, and Igor and Margaret stood on the couch inside the elevator, watching him.

Adachi still hated how surreal this place was. So dream-like and incredibly strange, as if he'd fallen into a rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland.

"_Rabbit holes go down, not up." _He reminded himself, casting a look around the elevator. Igor and Margaret were staring at him, strangely, faces frozen with something like distaste. Margaret scoffed, blushing, and closed her eyes as if to avert her gaze from something. Igor said nothing, but was, however, staring at his folded hands.

It was then that Adachi realized he was naked.

Oh, the _humiliation._

Adachi looked to the side, blushing, bathing in his humiliation, his loss of dignity. If he thought about it, the sensations he got from Izanami when they had finished what they started at the hospital, the sensations of her silky, pale skin on his, his fingers tangled in her silver hair, their bodies bathed in sweat, this was totally worth the humiliation.

Better these two, who wouldn't tell anyone, than Yosuke or Rise, who would tell everyone.

He could take the humiliation, the loss of dignity, so long as Igor and Margaret weren't gossipers. Margaret, his eyes still closed, a plain blush spread across her cheeks like butter to toast, said, blankly,

"I think it's best that you make yourself decent."

Igor nodded, waved a single hand, and Adachi found himself wearing a pair of boxers with rather girly pink hearts embroidered on them. Adachi sighed, a relieved sigh, not one of resignation thanks to the prissy, princess-like boxers, but a sigh of thanks.

But it wasn't like he would say that out loud.

_That, _would require the loss of his dignity, and manhood.

And Adachi certainly couldn't bear that.

Igor finally lifted his gaze to the now decent young detective, and said, starting a speech that seemed to always happen whenever Adachi was in this room,

"Do not be alarmed, you are-"

"Yeah, I know." Adachi interrupted, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Could we just get this over with? I need to get going, y'know."

Igor obviously didn't know, because he stared at Adachi with such an insulted expression, that it was Margaret who continued for the old man, waving her hand delicately in the air,

"You are halfway through the end of your journey." She said, and Adachi fixed his gaze on her, watching the strange woman as she spoke. "Do you remember? The Tarot reading that we had given you upon your first visit here?"

Adachi nodded, handing her his answer. Yes, of course he remembered.

"The World, where you would transcend on a new journey," Her voice was fading, Adachi knew he would wake up soon, but he needed to hear this. "The Magician, which was the power you now had the knowledge to handle, and Justice…"

Margaret's face was contorting, blurring, and her voice was growing even dimmer,

"Where everything from the past was coming back."

The world was growing dark now, dim, as if Adachi were closing his eyes.

"The journey's nearly over."

Everything was going black, but Adachi could still hear Margaret's voice,

"The question is: Will you survive?"

* * *

The pale light of the dawn filtered in through the windows of Adachi's apartment, momentarily blinding the young detective as his eyes narrowly opened, then closed tightly again. Adachi groaned, twisting away from the person he'd been hugging in his bed. His fingers, which had been curled in Izanami's hair, unfurled from the silver locks as Adachi pulled himself out of bed.

The first thing Adachi noticed, was that he was wearing the girly boxers Igor had given him in the Velvet Room. The second, was that his back ached, a lot. Plausible, considering what he did last night and who he did it with.

Izanami was as ravenous as women get, Adachi had thought to himself, rubbing his bare back, feeling how sore he was. He was reminded of Kataki's funeral, and Adachi narrowed his eyes, finally letting the fact that his father was dead sink in. And, apparently, thanks to Shirogane, whose connections ran deeper than Adachi would've ever expected, the murder would not have an investigation. Shirogane had insisted it was a suicide, and that Kataki had been a mad man.

Which, Adachi supposed, was not too far off.

Dojima had been eyeing Adachi suspiciously, however, since he had snuck out of the interrogation room. But Adachi's partner had kept to himself, for the most part. Which was great, since Adachi had really not wanted Dojima sniffing around for things when they had a much more important case to take care of.

Adachi glanced back at Izanami over his shoulder. She was sleeping, judging from the slow rise and fall of her chest as she curled herself into a cocoon of comforter. Adachi smiled, then rose to look for his jacket amongst the scattered clothes on the floor beside the bed.

"_Thou better not screw this up." _Whispered Bishamon, his Persona.

Adachi's smile only grew as he lifted his clothes up from the floor, despite the pain he got from bending over. His sore back was going to be quite a pain in the ass.

Ah, no pun intended.

Adachi jumped nearly ten feet in the air when the phone in his pocket rang. He dropped his clothes, his pants, his rumpled shirt, and ripped the phone out of his jacket pocket. Flipping it open, Adachi raised the phone to his ear and answered,

"Hello?"

"Adachi? It's Dojima."

Adachi frowned. Ten times out of ten, Dojima was going to ask Adachi where the hell he was and why he was late for work, Adachi would provide the man with a bumbling, stuttering excuse, and Adachi would be forced, yes forced, to head down to the station to go over more dead ends and cold cases and useless suspects.

Adachi rubbed his back once more. If it hurt to walk, then it would be like having surgery awake and alert if he ran.

Perhaps he could get Dojima to pick him up?

"Ah, am I late for work again, Dojima-san?" Adachi attempted to sound as pleasant as he could, even feigning a smile to try and brighten his mood. Dojima let out a deep, breathy, annoyed sight on the other end before replying,

"No. There's a letter for you."

"A letter?" Now Adachi sounded intrigued. "From who?"

"Your father. It was found on his body."

* * *

Souji usually didn't break arms. He especially didn't mess up in soccer practice. And he especially, didn't trip over soccer balls.

So why, he wondered, was he sitting in the hospital, yet _again_, with an arm sling and waiting for a nurse who seemed as if they would never show up? Daisuke had been worried, very worried, about Souji, seeing as the very perfect boy was their star soccer player, next to Daisuke himself, of course.

Souji frowned, looking down at the dull gray tile of the hospital, then looked up when the door to his hospital room creaked open.

His mouth opened, his silver eyes widened, and a single word, a single name, escaped his parted lips,

"_Sayoko?"_

* * *

_Tohru,_

_If you are reading this, then I am dead. I apologize if certain events have not allowed me to speak with you, or if I have spoken with you and said awful things. I was bound by my duty, a duty to which I did not consent to. Lady Luck is fickle indeed, as it would appear, when it comes to my affairs. But, I should shut up about that now, as I am writing this to say one thing, and one thing only,_

_I was not the killer you and your friends are looking for._

_I do, however, know who the killer is. And that his accomplice, his puppet, is one of you. Yes, I repeat, there is a traitor amongst you. A puppet who's wish is going to be granted very soon._

_The killer is someone of a higher power, Tohru, I suggest you tread carefully on your journey, for you are swimming in dangerous waters. I had wanted freedom, freedom from that prison, and he promised me my freedom. He gave me the freedom._

_Careful, son. And I am very sorry._

_Kataki_

Adachi's fingers trembled as he read the letter over and over again. He was in Dojima's office, with Takano, Dojima and Naoto, and they had given Adachi the letter to read. They had already read it, as Naoto had clearly stated to him before, but no one, except Naoto and Adachi, would've been able to truly grasp what it meant.

There was a traitor amongst them.

And the killer was someone of a higher power.

"_Izanami?" _He thought, and then shook his head. It couldn't be her, it couldn't be. She wouldn't betray them either…

Would she?

"_No. It's not her."_

"I don't get it." Adachi said, only to Dojima and Takano. He looked up, catching Naoto's gaze and Naoto nodded. They would need to talk about this later.

"Neither do we." Replied Takano, who let out a long, resigned sigh. "Shame. We were hoping you would get it."

Adachi sighed, folded the letter in half, and tucked it into his jacket pocket. Takano opened his mouth, as if he were about to say something, but Adachi spoke first, quickly,

"I'll keep the letter, and go over it tonight. I might think of something."

The lie came easy, so easy in fact, that no one guessed it was a lie, save Naoto who smiled at knowing what he was doing.

He was keeping the letter so he and the Investigation Team could go over it.

Distantly, Adachi cringed at how sore his back was from running. It had been just like getting cut open. Or shot.

Perhaps he deserved this?

* * *

"_Sayoko?" _

The black-haired nurse smiled at him. It really was her. Souji was flabbergasted. Sayoko Uehara had gone off to Africa, as she had told Souji a year ago, so… was it really her that stood in front of him? Or a Sayoko look-a-like?

"Hello, sweet thing."

It really was her. Souji smiled, a soft smile, one of understanding, despite his arm still being in a sling,

"Hello, Sayoko-san. I thought you were in Africa."

Sayoko looked at Souji, her black eyes gleaming with something like newfound knowledge.

"I found something in Africa, Souji. I found what I was looking for."

* * *

**WOWZERS! ANOTHER CHAPTER!? WHY, I'M WORKING MY ARSE OFF.**

**Kataki seems to have had a change of heart, Adachi's getting suspicious of Izanami, and Souji has a broken arm. Haha, Souji's totally like FML.**

**And Adachi's back is sore. LOL.**

**Sayoko went to Africa, right? I'm not retarded enough to have put her somewhere else… right? **

**I went to go see Alice in Wonderland a couple of days ago, hence the references. LOL. I was obsessed with that Disney Movie when I was little. Mad Hatter for the win.**

**Why is a raven like a writing desk, anyway?**


	33. The Sounds Of Betrayal

**Well, looks like I reached 100,000 words last chapter, and am nearing 200 reviews.**

**Go me.**

**Another talking chapter, with the Investigation Team dissecting the letter Adachi got. Souji's arm is still broken. (And will be broken, for quite a while.) Naoto insists I go over the case, because of my ineptitude at keeping the events in my own story together.**

**Damn straight.**

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Vindicated

Chapter 33: The Sounds Of Betrayal

_Forked tongues!_

_In bitter mouths!_

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_May 10__th__ 2012_

The letter sat in front of the picnic table, and no one, not even Rise, who's mouth usually ran at a thousand-miles-per-hour, or Yosuke, who's obnoxiousness exceeded limits, spoke. The rain pattered softly around everyone, umbrellas propped against the picnic table as the Investigation Team sat, going over what they had all just read. Souji leaned forward, his sling making it hard to even move properly.

It would be bad if they had to go into the TV. Souji wouldn't be able to hold a double-handed sword. Perhaps he could borrow one of Adachi or Naoto's pistols? Or perhaps join Rise on the support until his broken arm healed?

Souji shook his head. That wasn't what mattered now. What mattered was the small, insignificant-looking letter in the middle of the picnic table, and the words written hastily onto it.

Kataki had _known _he was going to die.

This letter had touched on something untouchable. Souji had believed, hoped, they would put watching the man commit suicide behind them. It had affected them all greatly, badly, allowing the group a few days of gloomy silence and dark thoughts. Souji hadn't been able to sleep the first night. The sound of the gun going off went over and over in his head, as if it had been the loudest, darkest sound he'd ever heard. It had affected everyone else too, visibly, including Adachi, who looked more bedraggled and rumpled than he ever did before.

"A higher power…" Naoto spoke, and everyone looked up at her, save Adachi, whose mind seemed to be elsewhere. "Does that insinuate a god?"

"Yeah," Yosuke replied softly, nodding at the Detective Prince. "I guess so."

Adachi murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear, yet soft enough to sound scared, unhappy,

"Izanami."

Everyone looked to Adachi now, eyes widened in slight shock. He was serious. Dead serious, about the deduction, and the look he gave everyone around him, was sad, depressed. Adachi explained, eyes narrowed as he tried to brace himself,

"A higher power obviously means a god, and the letter says we have a traitor," At this, everyone looked around, and an air of discomfort surrounded the group. "Izanami fits both of those descriptions."

Adachi looked down now, hands clenched tightly around his knees, heart stinging with the fresh idea that Izanami… Izanami could've, might've been the culprit. No matter how much Adachi didn't want the idea to be true, (He thought of how beautiful she looked, naked in his bed.) it could have been true. Might have been true.

And if it was, Adachi wasn't sure he'd be able to hold on to his sanity.

He'd been betrayed too much in the past decade. And it affected him. Oh yes, how it affected him.

"Izanami didn't want Kataki to die…" Said Chie, after a few moments of silence. She looked up, and blinked, "I… wait, am I right? I thought you guys would just be like 'Oh it's Chie being random again'."

Yukiko snorted a bit, giggling, despite how unfunny the situation, the conversation was. Teddie tipped his head to the side, which was hard to do, considering he was still in his clown-like bear suit. Naoto rolled her eyes, burying her face in one hand. Souji looked at Adachi, who was staring at the table in solemn, depressing silence. Souji guessed why Adachi was sad; the man loved Izanami. Loved her probably from the day she kissed him.

Souji shot Adachi a suspicious glance. He shouldn't have been this afraid of betrayal, just from one little kiss. A painful one, Souji remembered, guessing from the scab Adachi had received.

"Maybe we should try tailing her?" Souji suggested, and Adachi blushed when Souji continued, "Or Adachi and Izanami? Since Adachi knows her best."

"_Great. The brat knows something's up." _Adachi thought, and prepared to open his mouth to try and refuse the idea, but Chie yelled, a foolish, stupid grin spreading across her face,

"A stake out! Stake out! Stake out!"

"It's actually a good idea…" Naoto murmured, tipping her cap low over her face. "I agree with Souji-senpai. I think we should use Detective Adachi to our advantage."

"I've never been on a stake-out before…" Rise smiled, beamed. "Sounds fun!"

* * *

The tall man pulled a third chess piece from his pocket.

A Queen, black and tall and noble and two-sided, just like the person it represented.

* * *

She was just where he had left her. Curled into a cocoon of comforter, eyes closed and hair tangled messily around her pale (Inhuman, thought Adachi) face. Adachi sighed, hand resting on the doorknob of his bedroom door. The Investigation Team was just outside, and they had devised a plan for Adachi to use. A plan Adachi had so obviously didn't want to use.

Why did he have to bring up his suspicions? He should've kept them to himself.

They were silly suspicions.

Right? Not true?

Adachi shook his head, casting away the thoughts, the doubts, before they began to plague him once more. He'd had theories, of course he'd had theories, that Izanami knew who the killer was personally, just like she knew who he was, and Souji too.

But who would know Izanami better, than the creator of the TV World herself?

Adachi walked slowly through his bedroom, ignoring the scattered clothes, the unmade bed and the smell of something unknown in the air. He sat on his side of the bed, looking at Izanami forlornly.

He had doubts.

But who wouldn't have doubts? Izanami was a master of intrigue, a spinner of lies, and a goddess of darkness. It was rational, wasn't it, to have doubts?

Adachi sneered, smirked, his eyes glowing darkly in the dimly lit room. Those doubts were choking him. Adachi didn't like being smothered, choked, but then again, who did? He was dying here, in Inaba, smothered by everything, by his past, by Izanami, by the Investigation Team's expectations.

They were killing him.

Adachi brought his fingers, and brushed them across Izanami's forehead, tucking loose strands of silver hair behind her ear. She stirred, and curled herself further into his blankets, thickening the soft cocoon. Adachi whispered, softly, deciding it was best to get this over with, and hope for the best,

"Izanami-san."

She stirred a little more. Adachi placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling at its familiar warmth,

"Izanami."

"Tohru-kun?" She murmured, grumbled. Her eyelids fluttered, and she sounded almost human, laying in his bed in that half-awake state. A few seconds passed, and she lifted herself up, pulling the covers tightly around her, her red eyes caught his eyes, and something, Adachi wasn't sure what, stirred in their depths.

Something that reminded Adachi too much of regret. But… he was being paranoid. He had to be.

"What?" She asked, reverting to her usual gloomy, inhuman demeanor. "What is it?"

"Hey," He grinned, that foolish, two-sided, false grin that he reserved only for Souji and his friends. "Want to go grab a bite to eat?"

* * *

The Queen thought to herself,

"_So naïve. So… sweet."_

* * *

Souzai Daigaku's steak skewers were a little too… tangy for Adachi's liking. The young detective did prefer Aiya's, and the chef's fleshy Rainy Day Special. But it wasn't raining, and Aiya's regular food didn't appeal to Adachi's taste buds.

Or at least, that was what he told Izanami, when he explained to her where they were going. And when she had asked if they could go to Aiya's.

In truth, Souzai Daigaku had an outdoor food court. A food court that wasn't always visited, heavens no, not when there was a Junes around, but it was a perfect place to hold a recorded conversation. Or, in Adachi's case, a conversation that could be easily heard. (Adachi had complained that the Junes Food Court's… cuisine had instant heart attack written all over it, hence why they were here, and not there.)

Adachi knew where the Investigation Team was. They were not very good at hiding. No, not at all.

Adachi glanced uneasily over Izanami's shoulder, at the small, insignificant bush that the Investigation Team was hiding in. He could easily pick out a lime green sleeve, silver hair, a leg, and Naoto's signature hat.

And was that Kanji's butt sticking in the air?

"What are you looking at, Child Of Man?" Izanami asked, turning her head to look around. Adachi jumped, slightly, and said quickly before Izanami could turn around fully,

"Oh! Sorry, I was um," Izanami turned back towards him, tilting her head to the side. "Thinking."

"Is it about what happened last night?" Izanami tipped her Moel cap low over her eyes, attempting to hide her blush, though Adachi had quickly picked it out before she could hide it. He smiled, and hoped that the Investigation Team didn't understand.

But… they were teenagers… Adachi grimaced, inwardly. This was going to be incredibly awkward.

"Do you regret it?"

It had been whispered so softly, that if Adachi weren't listening, or paying Izanami his full attention, he wouldn't have heard it. His eyes flicked back to her. She was picking at her croquette with a fork, frowning.

"Oh, no. No, not at all." He answered, uneasy with her question. If his suspicions-

No. No. He didn't want to think about that. Adachi shot her a shy, albeit uneasy smile, one which she returned. As awkward as this was, it was even more awkward to think that Souji and the Investigation Team was hearing _every single word._

If they hadn't deduced something by now, then they truly were, as Adachi had suspected them to be, idiots.

He thought he saw the bush move for a bit, and thought he heard barely whispered voices.

"Tohru." Izanami said, and Adachi looked up at her, staring into her eyes. He smiled again, awkwardly, as he had been since the conversation, lunch, started, and admired her for once. She wouldn't betray him… not her.

Right?

Izanami stood, her picnic chair scraping behind her as she did so and Adachi was about to open his mouth in protest when…

She leaned over and kissed him. Hard. Passionately. Her hair tickling the underside of his chin.

Yes. He was screwed now. They'd know something was up. No doubt about it.

Izanami pulled from him, and sat back down. She then explained, quietly,

"You had steak sauce on your lips."

* * *

The Queen cringed inwardly.

"_Such a sweet thing."_

* * *

"What happened last night?"

Adachi stood in the middle of the road, by Souzai Daigaku. Izanami had left, gone about her business as usual, leaving Adachi to his own devices. Or, actually, unknowingly, throwing him to the wolves. The clouds stirred darkly above them. A storm would be coming soon, ironically enough. Had it come earlier, he and Izanami would have had to go to Aiya's.

Souji stood a few feet in front of him, flushed, just like his friends whom flanked his sides. He looked very much the leader Adachi knew he was. Tall, proud, _nosy._

Adachi flushed, looked down, clenched his fists.

"None of your business, kid."

"You love her." Souji said, calmly. Rise giggled, despite the seriousness of the situation. "You don't want her to be the killer."

Adachi yelled, and the Investigation Team cringed, eyes growing wide as Adachi lashed out verbally,

"Of course I do! But I'm not gonna ignore the damn facts!" Adachi clenched his teeth, grinding them and looking to the side. Looking everywhere except at Souji. Souji would pick him apart. Try to help him. Just like the self-righteous brat Adachi knew full well he was.

"I didn't want you to hear that." Adachi said, finally, after a few minutes of silence. A cracking sound roared above them. Thunder. "It wasn't any of your damned business."

It began to rain, slowly. Kanji pulled his jacket over his head. Chie grimaced, as did Yosuke. Rise looked at Adachi solemnly, wisely. Yukiko looked down, embarrassed. Naoto tipped her hat over her eyes.

But Souji stared Adachi down.

"Just like we weren't supposed to find you in Magatsu Inaba, Adachi-san?"

Adachi's head jerked up, and he thought, just for a second, a cool, eternal, beautiful second, that Souji was _jealous _of him. He laughed, his laughter slightly maniacal, and not at all happy,

"Are you jealous of me, Souji-kun?" Adachi laughed again, heartily. "What a joke!"

A muscle in Souji's jaw jumped, and the silverette took a step forward, closer to Adachi. The Investigation Team exchanged glances in the rain, not knowing what to do, or even, if they should stop Souji in the first place.

Souji took another step forward, now nearly nose to nose with Adachi. Adachi was smiling a smile that didn't reach his eyes, laughing to himself as if this were all some stupid joke.

"I think," Souji whispered, for only Adachi to hear. "Adachi-san, that you can be possessed again. You need to stop this with Izanami, before you end up as another one of her _puppets."_

Adachi brought his hand up, grabbing Souji's throat, choking him. The Investigation Team pounced forward, but Souji was calm, grabbing Adachi's hand with his one useable hand as it curled around his throat like some threatening noose. Adachi hissed, this time loud enough for everyone to hear,

"I think," He started, glaring, a cackle of thunder breaking out above them. "That you need to keep your nose out of my business."

And with that, Adachi pushed Souji, releasing his death grip on Souji's throat. Adachi turned on his heel and walked away, fuming.

But Souji's words were haunting him.

"_I think, Adachi-san, that you can be possessed again. You need to stop this with Izanami, before you end up as another one of her puppets."_

He had doubts.

And those doubts were choking Adachi.

* * *

The Queen smiled to herself.

"_What a naïve, young, stupid sweet thing he is."_

* * *

Souji shook his head, admiring the blossoming purple bruise encircling his entire neck. He'd touched a soft spot with Adachi, a tender one that was easily pierced. Souji cringed as he prodded the purple bruise with his fingers. It hurt, not that much, but enough to be a little painful.

Souji sighed, he'd have to go with the old 'I fell down the stairs' line at school.'

Funny, how he already broke his arm, and now he had a bruise on his neck. Souji shook his head, smiling to himself.

He'd gotten a rise out of Adachi. Souji cared for the man, Souji cared for everyone, and he hadn't wanted Adachi to actually hit him, but it was good to see that the men held some sort of emotion, some shred of sanity ever since Kataki killed himself.

It had been Adachi and Izanami who'd watched, after all, not them.

Souji jumped as his cell phone rang. Walking calmly through the Dojima's living room, arm hanging in its sling, Souji snatched his cell from the Dojima's dining table, opened it and held to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Souji, it's Dojima." Souji blinked. His uncle? Why was he calling him?

"Yes, uncle?"

"Sayoko Uehara has disappeared. You're the prime suspect."

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**The Cliff Hanger Lady strikes once more.**

**Man I'm bored.**

**Working on three other stories at the moment, attempting to get them all fleshed out. (All are Dynasty Warriors, in case there are any Dynasty Warriors fans out there.) Which I'll probably start writing when I'm done with Vindicated and Cyanide And Happiness. I've also got two Heavy Rain stories in the making, both of which have chapter starters.**


	34. I Need Your Help

**200 REVIEWS HOLY SHIT THANK YOU GUYS SO EFFING MUCH I THINK I'M GONNA PASS OUT FROM JOY!**

**Anyway, I want to take the time to thank everyone for reviewing my story, so I will have a proposal for everyone at the end of this chapter. :D A gift, for those who read and review my story.**

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Vindicated

Chapter 34: I Need Your Help

_He smiles politely right at you._

_You stare politely right on through._

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Adachi's keys skittered across the kitchen table, and landed, with a clanking thud, to the ground. He'd pitched them, much like a baseball champion, across the room, where they had landed in the kitchen in a fit of anger. The young detective was pissed, for lack of wording. He was seething. At his boiling point. He kicked the couch before collapsing on it, and hoped, very strongly, that Izanami wasn't anywhere near his home to witness his sudden… childish tantrum.

But Souji, Souji had effectively pissed him off!

"_That brat." _Adachi thought angrily, childishly to himself. _"That rich, spoiled, jealous self-righteous brat!"_

He leaned along the couch, one hand draped over the armrest, his head crooked, laying on his shoulder. One leg lay lazily on the ground, and he struck an almost cat-like, albeit moody figure in the living room. His eyes glowered like hot coals within their sockets, and his hands clenched and unclenched and re-clenched while he laid there in complete silence.

Izanami must have been gone, or she surely would have said something by now. Perhaps admonishing his stupidly irrational behavior, maybe mock his theory that Souji was, in fact, jealous of the relationship he held for her.

Or… the theory that Souji had been, and was, incredibly worried for Adachi's safety.

The doubts had not quelled. They had remained in the pit of Adachi's stomach, like a ball of ice that would not melt, and would only grow colder and bigger until Adachi was positive it was going to burst. He sighed, irritated, and ran an aggravated hand through his shock of messy black hair, effectively messing it up even more.

His doubts remained at the nub of his mind, and even he worried for his safety. Had he been right, if Izanami truly were, as he suspected, a cold-blooded killer then…

She'd have been playing him like a puppet dangling on its strings, just as Souji had predicted.

Adachi scowled darkly, the shadows playing over the contours of his face. The power had gone out long ago, and the storm still raged on outside, drenching the glass of windows and painting them with liquid diamonds, that moved and melded with one another like melting silver. He couldn't watch TV, he couldn't play video games, he couldn't cook…

In all truth, the only thing he could do, and wanted to do, was think.

And that meant thinking about the issues that were plaguing him so. He had no other thing to think about. No other distraction.

That's what he needed.

A _distraction._

But, the bad thing about distractions, as it always was a bad thing, was that they were never there when you _needed _them. When you _craved them._

Distractions were such fleeting things.

"_Izanami's a distraction." _A voice said, hungrily, in the back of his mind. _"She's a wonderful distraction from the things you'd rather not think about. Like good ol' dad dying, or the fact that-"_

"Enough." He mumbled sharply, eyes closing ever so slightly, narrowing like thin black wires, like a phone cord uncurled and straightened. He frowned, eyes gleaming with something dark, something vicious. He didn't want to think about Kataki. Of course not. He'd watched the man commit suicide. And sure, he was happy that he was there to witness the end of the man's life. It was something he'd hoped for.

But he still hadn't wanted to think about it.

After all, despite everything, that man, that tyrannical monster, was his father.

Adachi closed his eyes, leaning backwards into the couch, tired and bored and incredibly plagued. His couch smelled funny, he noticed. Like dust.

_Knock Knock._

His eyes snapped open, and he groaned into his couch pillow. Perhaps… if he didn't go to the door, the knocker, the annoying little _bitch _would go away? He waited, breathing in the smell of dusty pillow and a hint of old coffee. Maybe he spilled a cup of French Vanilla coffee on here?

The knocking again; and Adachi groaned once more before swinging his legs over the couch and standing up. Maybe he'd just tell the little bastard to go away and leave him alone? Adachi had wanted to be alone, especially since he was still pissed. Still seething. Still contemplative.

Still doubtful.

Adachi approached the door, listening slightly to the gale outside as the sudden disturbance of light, lightning, bathed him and his apartment in a quick, fleeting sheet of white light. The shadows across the contours of his face faded for a quick second, before returning and Adachi wondered vaguely if his visitor was some poor moron who'd gotten caught in the storm and was looking for a place to stay.

"_Nah," _He thought, laughing at himself. _"That stuff only happens in stories. When the hapless heroine gets caught in a storm and the noble hero attempts to shield her and then they make love under the anger of the storm."_

Adachi opened the door, and the frowning look on his face turned from a frown to a look of sheer, unadulterated shock.

"_Souji?" _He choked out, looking at the sopping wet teenager in front of him. Souji Seta stared back, his eyes betraying not a hint of emotion, his silver hair plastered to his soaking forehead, a duffel bag swinging innocently from his shoulder, packed so haphazardly with clothes that Adachi could pick out the shirt sleeve of Souji's uniform.

Was Souji leaving?

Had he given up?

The thought, the very idea, angered Adachi so much that he opened his mouth to say something, but Souji cut him off, his voice quiet, broken,

"Adachi-san." He took a deep breath, as if gathering the strength, or as if he were rehearsing a speech,

"I need your help."

Why he had come to Adachi, Souji had not known. Yosuke had a house, as did Naoto, and Rise, and Kanji… yet still, the silverette had come to Tohru Adachi, of all people. Why? He didn't know. He was still angry at Adachi, still incredibly concerned for the detective.

He saw Adachi's black eyes rove his body, landing on the faint bruise that encircled his neck, the bruise that Adachi had given him.

Why? Why? Why was he here?

Souji stared at Adachi, the man looked contemplative, and even a little concerned for Souji, just as Souji had been concerned for him. Souji wondered, as he'd always wondered, if Adachi would ever recollect his memories. What would happen to him, then? Would he be as he is now? Or would he be like they'd seen him in Magatsu Inaba?

Adachi stepped to the side, opening the door to Souji.

"I can't make you anything," He muttered, shutting the door behind him as Souji kicked off his shoes by the door. "Power's out."

"It's fine." Souji replied, placing his duffel bag by the recliner and sitting on it. He, well, reclined. Adachi moved towards the couch, eyeing Souji curiously, even a little suspiciously before sitting down.

"What?" Adachi asked solemnly, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Souji knew what he was asking, knew that Adachi had really meant 'Why are you here?', and he tried to gather the words to tell Adachi. He'd tried to rehearse it, many times through his head, on the way here but… he still couldn't gather the words.

The thought, his own decision… it had all seemed so dreamlike.

"Dojima-san kicked me out." He said finally, reproachfully, looking down at the wood floor of Adachi's living room. Adachi recoiled, shocked, confused before asking, gingerly, carefully as if afraid he was treading into Souji's personal business,

"Why? I mean," Adachi scratched the back of his head. "That doesn't _sound _like Dojima-san… He's usually the more, uh, _rational _side of our partnership. He's… y'know, _logical."_

Souji smiled, and let out a breathy laugh that lifted a few loose strands of his messy wet hair. Adachi amused him, even when he was pissed off at him. The man was naturally likeable, but, he supposed that's what made the man such a good liar.

"Sayoko Uehara disappeared."

"That creepy nurse? Dojima-san told he put her in jail once for-" Adachi asked, and Souji glared at him, which promptly made Adachi zip his lips.

"Dojima-san thought I was the culprit, so he brought me in but then…" At this, Souji let out a quiet, almost laughing sigh. "He let me go due to lack of evidence. But… I'm still a suspect, and while I'm a suspect, Dojima-san is not letting me go near Nanako or be in his house."

"Poor Nanako…" Adachi murmured, eyes going down. Now they were both looking at the living room floor, and Adachi mindlessly traced the wood pattern with his socked foot.

The door opened, once more, and both Souji and Adachi looked up. However, Adachi already had a guess as to who it was.

Izanami kicked off her shoes, dressed in her usual Moel garb, and then noticed both Souji and Adachi in the living room. She swiped off her hat, ran a pale hand through her soaked silver hair, and said very solemnly, and very calmly,

"Good afternoon, Tohru-kun, Child Of Man."

Souji's eyes narrowed, and Adachi glared at him, which made Souji quit giving Izanami the evil eye, and reply,

"Yes. You too."

Izanami's ruby eyes narrowed, and Adachi felt that dark sense of foreboding invade his senses. Did Izanami know, from that single, hateful glance? Had she guessed? Would she say anything?

"Ah, um…" The two enemies looked over to Adachi, who looked incredibly uncomfortable, even in his own skin. "Souji is going to be staying here for a while… is that all right with you?"

"This is your land," Said Izanami, nodding her head. "I come as a visitor. It is not up to me who you allow to be here. I do not mind."

"Oh, good." Adachi grinned, that foolish, stupid grin. "Just… try not to rip off each other's heads, okay?"

"I don't understand your humor, Tohru-kun." Izanami replied, while Souji cocked a silver eyebrow.

"O-Oh."

Yes, this was going to be awkward.

* * *

It was one of those few times that Sayoko allowed herself the time to envelope herself in her memories, and to block out the things she didn't want to think about. Like the pain, oh the pain, the pain, the pain, the pain! She curled into a small ball, arms hugging her body as the pain began to deteriorate her.

She felt as if she would go insane, as if she would lose her mind. Would it be like it was in the movies, she thought. But no, this pain was real, and she would, _could, she reminded herself, _go insane.

So she attempted to block out the darkness of the pitch-black room, the pain that stabbed at her every being, and she thought, she blocked.

The blocking helped.

She thought of Souji, of his silver hair and gray, strange eyes and his kind, sharp voice. She thought of how she led him on, of how she yelled at him, of how she spilled her biggest, darkest secrets to him.

"He's not coming to save you." The tall man said, walking from a corner of the dark room. Sayoko's eyes swept open, tears beginning to run down the side of her face, she looked at the tall man, and for a split-second, there was a laughing smile on her face.

"You chose this for yourself."

* * *

The struck an odd group of people, sitting in Adachi's Living Room.

A silver-haired, pale-faced goddess. A lean, skinny looking man. And a silver-haired kid.

If anything, they looked like three people in a video game, or a manga. Strange, odd, bizarre. But Adachi knew, full well, that this wasn't a game, and that there weren't any try again's or resets or continues. This was serious, and the thought, the fact, shone through his twisted frown.

He also knew, for a fact, that Souji was perturbed by Izanami's very presence, guessing by the fleeting, suspicious glances he kept shooting her, and the constant scowl on his face.

Izanami seemed emotionless, a mask if Adachi ever saw one.

"So… um…" Both Izanami and Souji turned their heads to look at him, but Adachi was directing this question directly as Souji, and Souji alone. "Do your friends know you're staying here?"

This seemed to amuse Souji, "They don't even know Dojima-san kicked me out, or that I'm a suspect, except for maybe Naoto, Adachi-san."

This, _surprised, _Adachi. For Souji to keep a secret, especially such a huge, dark matter, from the people he had been friends with for a whole year indicated the highest degree of slight embarrassment. And for Souji to come to Adachi, the person he'd put in jail for a few months, that had meant that Souji either knew the detective could keep a secret, considered Adachi a friend or… he could've, and Adachi was loathe to think this, he could've been trying to spy on Adachi.

After all, Souji had admitted to being concerned for Adachi.

"Really?" Adachi asked, nonchalantly, feigning no real concern, though the pit of ice in his stomach grew colder yet at the thought of Souji using this matter as a double-edged sword. Izanami sensed the subtle displeasure in his voice, and her eyes quickly shot to him, before returning to land on Souji.

Souji nodded, quietly, and then added, "I apologize for the inconvenience of me staying here," At this his eyes went straight to Izanami, but only for a split-second that Adachi clearly saw. "But I truly do not want the others to worry."

"It's, I mean, I really don't care if you stay here, just don't expect great food or um… anything." At this, Adachi blushed in embarrasment. He had never been the greatest cook, and the only meal that he could really, truly make to taste good was anything that had cabbage in it. He had survived on instant for quite a while, and the budget worked in his favor.

"It's fine."

Adachi was positive this wasn't going to end well, and he looked at both Izanami and Souji with such worry in his eyes, before leaning back into the couch again.

* * *

"Yes…"

"What?" The smile of a hunter, of a killer. "I can't hear you!"

A pause, a long one. Then a shriek, a call of passionate anger,

"I did choose this path!"

* * *

Souji fell asleep quickly on Adachi's living room couch. And now it was just him and Izanami speaking, under the safety from the gale, the storm outside.

"He thinks me to be a villain still." Izanami said, leaning into Adachi as the two sat in the living room, on the loveseat adjacent from where Souji was sleeping. Adachi ignored her, and watched the up and down motion of Souji's body as he slumbered. After a few minutes of complete silence, Izanami ran a finger down Adachi's shoulder, drawing small circles on his jacket as the detective contemplated.

"Souji's worried, about me. About _us."_

Izanami's eyes narrowed, the ruby a bright, unearthly red in the darkness. She craned her head into the crook of Adachi's neck, and smiled.

"He is a wonderful child. So full of hope. So much like _him." _She replied, and Adachi looked down at her, before snaking a hand around her pale neck, and rubbing at the area between the back of her ears and her head. The doubts remained a snagging, icy problem in the pit of his stomach, but for now, he ignored them.

He had wanted a distraction, after all.

"Do you think the Uehara bitch was kidnapped?" He asked her, running his hand through her silver hair, the other hand toying with the hem of her pure white robes. Her breath tickled the inside of his ear, and her eyes became narrowed in contemplation, as if thinking over the possibility.

"I believe that to be the truth."

"_Would you lie to me?" _He had wanted to ask, but Adachi kept the question to himself. The doubts would not quell within him, but for the moment, he could be distracted. Yet still…

"_But… would you?"_

* * *

**Okay! As the result of my 200 reviews, I have a proposition for you guys. I want you guys, to leave a review requesting a Persona 4 Oneshot idea. I will pick the idea that I like most, and I will write that Oneshot!**

**So, fire your ideas away!**


	35. The World In Transformation

**I would like to thank Mr. Thumbsup for giving Vindicated a recommended read on TVtropes! Thank you!**

**

* * *

**

Vindicated

Chapter 35: The World In Transformation

_On this side of town it touches…_

_Everything…_

_

* * *

_

_May 11__th__ 2012_

"_Bills, bills, more god damn bills."_

Flicking through his mail as he started back up the steps, hair disheveled from a good night's rest of sleep, his pajamas hanging off of him, Adachi wondered, crossly, how the hell he was going to pay all of these bills.

"_Maybe there's a discount at Junes today…?"_

Though the fact that he would have to clip coupons for what seemed like hours when he did so seemed quite boring and dull, it was something that was incredibly necessary, especially since he was essentially feeding three people now. Adachi groaned, opened the door of his apartment, and flung the bills onto the kitchen table before indolently scratching the back of his head.

"I'm leaving for school." Souji said, drearily, passing by the preening detective, attempting to get his broken arm in the sling. He stopped by the door Adachi had just entered through, and Adachi watched, amused, as Souji attempted to get the arm in the sling, grimacing every time he moved the arm. Feeling a little more than sorry for the kid, Adachi approached him, and suggested, his voice laughing,

"Here, let me help you with that."

Souji looked down, his pride, or what was left of it, slightly wounded as Adachi lifted the arm carefully, like a surgeon attempting brain surgery, and pulled it into the sling, smiling. Souji nodded, his face as blank as ever, like a canvas that was yet to be painted on,

"Thank you, Adachi-san."

And with that, Souji left, the door closing behind him with a soft click. Adachi glanced after him, looked up at the wall clock lazily and saw that, he would be, yet again, late for work. He stretched his arm above his head, uncaring, and speculated the fact that today would most likely be just another day, free of surprises, of goddesses and gods trailing after him and the Investigation Team like some sort of Shadow or hungry mutt.

Though, just as there had been doubts in the past few days for Adachi, there was, again, that small pin of doubt that today would be just another day. After all, these days, surprises and wonders seemed to never cease.

And they had let him out of prison just so he could live his own life, and funnily enough, ironically enough, he was trapped by the secrets and lies and half-truths and true truths of Inaba and its famous murders, of which he was obviously involved in. And… the fact that he couldn't for the life of him, remember the memories of the murders. For they were as fleeting as chased birds.

"_Thou art not the murderer, however." _Said Bishamon, the checkered Persona. Adachi closed his eyes sighed, and continued forward to his bedroom to fish out his clothes. It would be another boring day, he assumed, having to sit through Dojima's wrong conjectures and Takano's hissy fits and Naoto's boredom which was so much like his own.

"Lost in thought?"

Adachi looked around over at Izanami, who was zipping up the front of her Moel jacket, tipping the cap low over her ruby eyes, in order to hide the unearthliness that Adachi had found so unfortunately attractive. She looked sullen, pale, at first glance, so much unlike the normal person that some people may have found it incredibly creepy. But there was a kind smile on her face, and Adachi had nodded, though slightly annoyed that she had broken him from his morose reverie.

"Bored," He explained. "I doubt anything's going to happen today. Inaba's always been such a dull place, being the boonies and all."

Izanami nodded, her eyes gleaming and her smile growing slightly, revealing the hint of pale teeth.

"Yes. But you do not know if anything will happen, or if it won't."

Adachi looked slightly confused, and it showed.

"Yeesh, Izanami-san," He replied teasingly. "And here I was thinking I was some fortune teller or somethin'."

"Oh?" She fixed her shirt in the mirror, tipped the cap lower over her eyes until it suitably covered the glimmer of red, and turned to her lover, smiling. "I apologize if I have crushed your dreams."

Adachi smiled.

* * *

Souji flipped the pen skillfully around his fingers with the one good hand he had, ignoring Mr. Hosoi as he went on and on about transitive verbs and other such things that, at the moment, Souji did not care about.

He was worried. Incredibly worried. _Beyond _worried.

He was worried about Adachi, and the bond he had with Izanami. If it were true, and Izanami really was using Adachi as a pawn, as a puppet that could simply be pulled by its strings then… they, the Investigation Team, were hugely screwed. Adachi had the loyalty of a rabid pit bull to Izanami, that much was sure, but Souji had the faintest bit of thought, of theory, that he had planted a seed of doubt within Adachi's heart.

"_So, if we can't investigate, then Adachi-san will." _

Souji was worried, also, for Sayoko and the matter of her disappearance. There was something writhing wildly within his gut. A dark, apprehensive sort of feeling that curled deep within him. And, just like the seeds of doubt that were buried within Adachi's heart, would not and could not be quelled.

Mr. Hosoi turned around to write on the blackboard, placing his constant hand puppet on his desk to grab a piece of chalk and begin writing.

"Transitive verbs are verbs which…" He began, and Souji began to tune him out, still flipping the pen calmly around his fingers in a bored, impatient sort of motion. There was a tap on his shoulder, and Souji jumped a little, jerked out of his reverie.

"_Partner, _hey," Hissed Yosuke, leaning forward in his desk to talk to Souji, his headphones hanging on his shoulder. "Can I come over later today? I need help with studying."

Souji, about to answer yes, remembered then that Dojima had kicked him out, and shook his head.

"Sorry, Yosuke." He prepared, braced himself to lie, as Yosuke would no doubt want an explanation for 'why not'. "Yukiko wanted help with studying. I'm helping her."

* * *

"Not going to school today?" Adachi sat down across from Naoto, holding a cup of the crappy Junes coffee as Naoto flipped through sheets of the case files, an impatient and incredibly concerned expression on her face. She looked up, and Adachi noticed the bags beneath her eyes, though it was quite obvious she was trying to hide her tiredness by pulling the cap of hat lower so the shadows covered the evidence.

"While there is an investigation going on, Adachi-san," She paused, reached forward and stole Adachi's coffee. Adachi let out a groaning sigh, annoyed at the girl. She took a sip, then placed the coffee back down on the table. "I am not personally inclined to do such trivial and unimportant things as relearning what I already know."

"Yeah," Adachi reached forward and took his coffee back, and Naoto rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "I get your point."

He looked at the lid of the coffee cup, reminded himself that Naoto had had her lips on it, and pulled the lid off, before sipping lightly at the sugared coffee. Naoto glared at him, before taking the binder in which the case files were clipped inside, and closing it, letting out a tired breath.

"Sayoko Uehara." She said, blankly. Adachi continued sipping at his coffee, as Naoto looked down tiredly, chin propped on her hand, fingers toying with a few fallen strands of ultramarine hair. She was contemplating, Adachi could tell, due to the fact that her eyes were cast downward and she was not speaking.

"Yeah?" He asked, pausing for a second when she shot him a nasty glare, angry at him for breaking into her reverie. "What about her?"

"What do you think," She replied. "Of the probability that Uehara was targeted by the killer?"

* * *

The glass chessboard was incredibly beautiful, marked with black and pale square tessellations, the black and white pieces standing valiantly in their places as the tall man stared directly at the chessboard, his eyes glazed over with slight boredom. Taking a hand, he placed his index finger on the White Queen, and flicked, making the White Queen topple over onto the glass board with a slight shattering sound.

"Who is the White Queen? What would make Adachi vulnerable, susceptible?" The tall man asked himself, and removed his dark brown fedora, and ran another hand through his thick black hair, sighing to himself in resignation. It was almost as if… this game were boring him.

"Kujikawa? Shirogane?" He continued to ask. "Amagi? Satonaka? Or, perhaps… _Izanami?"_

Strands of thick black hair hung in his gray eyes, framing his pale face, as he looked at the chessboard and the fallen White Queen. He moved his own queen, the Black one, horizontally, checkmating a pawn that had been blocking his own pawn. His eyes grew tinged with yellow, flashing and he said loudly,

"Come out of the shadows, Uehara."

* * *

"Wow, Naoto-kun." Adachi looked down, and traced the lip of his coffee cup listlessly, thinking what the Detective Prince said over. "I never woulda thought about it."

"You should have." She said, ultramarine eyes narrowing beneath the shadows of her cap, fingers curling instinctively around the edge of the table. She then looked to the side, in an irritated sort of motion that irritated Adachi more than her. "I often wonder if I'm the only one actually cogitating over this case."

"_I can't tell if that was some sort of fancy jab or not," _Adachi thought to himself. _"But the way you put it really pisses me off."_

"It's going to storm again tonight." Adachi said, standing up from the table, taking his now cold coffee with him. "I'll watch the Midnight Channel, and be sure to remind everyone else."

Naoto emitted some sort of sound, and Adachi couldn't decide if it was one of annoyance or agreement.

* * *

"You're not going to Yukiko-chan's house, are you, partner?"

Yosuke trailed after Souji like a betrayed dog that had its tail between its legs. Understandable, considering that Yosuke may have felt more than a little betrayed. Souji didn't look back at him, and adjusted his arm slightly in its sling. Yosuke pouted, and fiddled with the headphones around his shoulders.

"No." Replied Souji, irritated. He looked up at the dark swirling clouds above him, realizing that it was going to storm.

"_The Midnight Channel will be on, tonight."_

"Then why can't I come over?" Yosuke waddled up to him, a cross look on his face. Souji glared at him, darkly, warningly, wondering if anyone would come to help Yosuke if he wringed his neck. Yosuke had a sudden look of revelation across his face, and he grinned,

"Oh! I get it!"

Souji shot him a look of warning.

"Haha, leader, I didn't know you were into the demure type. That's just like our-"

"_Yosuke."_

"Yukiko-chan's good with her hands then, eh?" Yosuke wasn't listening. "Huh? Well, come on!"

"_Yosuke, _shut up."

Yosuke grinned, a mocking sort of grin, and then said,

"Be sure to hide the goods!" Waved and ran the other direction, with Souji glaring after him. "Hopefully Nanako-chan won't be home!"

The faintest blush stretched itself across Souji's cheeks.

* * *

Uehara glanced down, ashamed, and the tall man extended his hand.

"Now, 'Oko," He purred. "Don't be shy."

He embraced her, running a hand through her black hair, and whispered in her ear,

"You're my Queen."

* * *

Izanami had pressed a kiss to his lips when he came home, and had disappeared into the kitchen, and Adachi stared after her before shedding his jacket and throwing it onto the couch.

He'd almost forgotten his doubts, but the constant presence of the goddess was enough to awaken them again, and let them become a cool ball of ice that was buried deep within the put of his stomach.

"The Midnight Channel will be on, tonight." She announced, returning to the Living Room where Adachi was awkwardly standing. She was garbed in her usual draping white robes, her feet seeming to float across the floor as she walked. Adachi watched her carefully, almost warningly from across the room.

"I'm aware."

"Do you believe Sayoko Uehara was targeted by the killer?"

At this, Adachi stared into her eyes. The eyes of a known liar, he knew, but there was such a hint of honesty in her eyes, that Adachi had no choice but to think she wasn't playing him. So he nodded, stepped forward and replied quietly,

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence between them. Adachi stood a few inches from her, and there was such a sense of tension, of something that made Adachi incredibly uneasy, and afraid. There were many what ifs running through his head, running at a hundred miles per hour, running so incredibly quickly and too quickly and he was… he was afraid.

"Izanami." He stated, quietly, his voice a mere whisper in the space between them. She twitched, and cocked an eyebrow,

"Yes?"

"Are you…" He was choking on his words, he was trying to finish the sentence, he truly was, but… "Are you… are you…" He choked.

"Am I what," She asked, taking her hands and running them through his hair, her face expressionless and so… sordid in his eyes. "Tohru-kun?"

He pressed a kiss to her lips, grabbed her shoulders and stepped forward so that the two fell to the ground. On the ground, he pinned her, his hands intertwined with his, holding them to the floor. Her silver hair was splayed out behind her head, and Adachi looked at her intensely, as if studying her every movement. As if she were an insect under a microscope.

He then asked, his voice choking slightly,

"Can I trust you?"

Her nails dug into the top of his hands, and she looked back, just as intensely as he was doing to her. It took her a long time to reply. But then…

"As much as you can trust an undead goddess, I suppose."

He cringed, gritted his teeth and moved off of her, releasing her from his pin. He leaned against his couch, and Izanami remained there on the ground, her ruby eyes trained on him, never moving, never leaving.

"I want to know," He said, after a long time. "If I can trust you."

"You are asking if I am the killer and the traitor, are you not?"

He looked surprised, astonished that Izanami had deduced what he had truly wanted to know. As if seeing this, Izanami spoke,

"You are not hard to read, Child of Man. And I am neither."

"You're a goddess of lies. You're supposed to lie."

"Am I, really?"

It was then that the door opened, and Souji had walked in, noticing the two first hand, and watched them angrily, though there was a sliver of something else in Souji's eyes, that Adachi decided was… caution. Caution in great amounts. Like the massive amounts of caution tape in Magatsu Inaba, which had wrapped the warped town in… lies and doubt.

"Souji," Said Adachi, remorsefully, his pride wounded by the fact that he could not trust the person he had wanted to trust the most. His eyes narrowed, his throat grew heavy with tears. "We need to talk."

* * *

Sayoko smiled.

A smiling grimace.

* * *

Souji had retained his normal persona through Adachi's apology, of Adachi's wounded confession that he… may not be able to trust the woman that sat not even three feet away from him. Souji looked down, rested his hands on his folded legs, and wondered, just wondered, why Adachi was apologizing, especially after accusing him of jealousy not even a day ago.

Souji really had planted the seed of doubt within him.

"I see, Adachi-san." Souji said, after a long time of waiting, the drizzle of the new rain pattering against the window, the red-block numbers in the corner of the room itching closer and closer to midnight. The Midnight Channel would be on soon, he knew, but there was one thing he needed to settle before they watched it.

"Adachi-san."

Adachi's glaze expression traveled up to him, and a choking feeling enveloped him, as he stared into those cool gray eyes. He didn't like Souji. There was nothing to like _about _Souji. The kid always got in other people's business, always acted as if he were some invincible hero, was always there when other people were-

He sighed to himself.

Of course he liked Souji.

The kid was a good kid.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Izanami is the killer, and is playing all of us?"

* * *

"_The possibility of Sayoko Uehara being targeted by the killer…"_

Naoto leaned back in her office chair, grimacing as it squeaked. She'd been leaning back way too much these past years, and the effects shown with a large annoyance. She hated squeaking chairs. Adachi had had one, once, in the police station, before Magatsu Inaba, and he seemed to take great pleasure in cultivating songs with the squeaks.

Until, of course, someone had secretly replaced his squeaking chair with a new one, under the intention of being incredibly agitated by the irritating habit.

"_Why am I thinking of this…?"_

Naoto shook her head, and reached for the cup of coffee that she had languidly placed on a coaster. Coffee stains also annoyed her. She took a sip of the coffee, knowing full well that she needed to get some good night's sleep, but also knowing full well that she needed to watch the Midnight Channel and cogitate over the case after doing so.

"_Sayoko Uehara…"_

* * *

"_Such a… huge plan, my sweet thing."_

* * *

The question had made Adachi scared. In truth, he didn't know how to answer, and so, he thought, and was about to open his mouth when…

The TV flickered, zig-zag shapes stretching across it, and the three's attention was drawn to the woman in the center of the television.

Sayoko Uehara sat there, sleeping in the center of a labyrinth.

* * *

**Ah, updates. How I missed your sweet taste.**

**School hates me. I'm betareading for Divine Mystery. The shiny Enchanted Arms box in GameStop caught my eye and I began playing the shit out of it. Oh, and then I suddenly noticed the large fricking span of time for my updates and decided to rush this chapter.**

**Go Me.**

**Also, I have chosen the OneShot that I will write!**

**Keep your eyes peeled, and let's give Ryuacchi a nice round of applause. Your idea was chosen.**

**So, get prepared for the return of the short story now turned OneShot, Prince Of Lies. I've reworked it, and am happy with it.  
**


	36. Rumors Do Come True

Vindicated

* * *

Chapter 36: Rumors Do Come True

_Peek-A-Boo!_

_I see you!_

_

* * *

_

They'd forgotten about the serious conversation in the wake of the Midnight Channel, and the shock of seeing Sayoko Uehara, asleep in the middle of a labyrinth. They stood frozen, awaiting a Shadow or at least something, anything, to come out and explain this…

But nothing did, and the TV flickered precariously before turning off completely, bathing Izanami, Adachi and Souji in a pit of darkness, their thoughts lingering inside their heads. They were all thinking the exact same sentence, the exact same worry,

"_Oh… no."_

Sayoko was inside of the TV, and they hadn't even had a warning. There had been no sign, no real reason to believe that she had been thrown inside of the TV. This had been sudden, the sort of sudden that was like getting hit by a train, and not even realizing it until you were bleeding and dying on the ground a couple of seconds later.

Bathed and enveloped in the darkness of Adachi's apartment, their silence became strange, awkward. They knew they should have been speaking about the Midnight Channel… however, the conversation, the serious one they'd had just before the revelation of the newest victim, was beginning to come back to them and a strong sort of tension lingered in the room like a long, disgusting fart.

Izanami and Souji exchanged glances full of uncertainty and slight dislike, and Adachi fiddled with the hands in his lap, picking mindlessly at the underside of his fingernail. His newfound habit of chewing on his fingernails when he was nervous had left the round tips ragged, and gave them an almost saw-like texture when he rubbed one finger along the side of it. That was what he did, now, when he was nervous. He liked rubbing it along the saw-like texture.

"Tohru-kun." Izanami said, suddenly, sharply, her voice a bullet through Adachi's reverie, tearing it apart. He looked up at her, and watched as she slowly got up off the floor, in an almost sleepwalker like way. She loomed over him and Souji, before continuing,

"I'm going to bed. It would maybe be…" At this, her ruby eyes became trained on Souji. "Best if we go over this tomorrow, with the rest of the… Investigation Team."

"Yeah," Adachi got up too, watching her. Her eyes were still looking at Souji, and there was a frown on her face that warned him of her displeasure about Souji even being here, as distrustful as the teen was about her motives and intentions. He smiled at her, and when she didn't smile back, he grew a little impatient and agitated. "I'm beat. S'probably best if we go over all this shit tomorrow."

Her eyes finally went to his, a dark ruby in which anger and frustration whirled around and around, and she smiled slightly, cynically, almost sympathetically, for him. She then proceeded to walk out of the room, her white robes trailing after her. He watched her go, and when he was sure she was out of earshot, he turned to Souji, and stated, humorously, though with a certain seriousness even he couldn't comprehend,

"Wow. You two really hate each other, don't you?"

Souji was still sitting on the floor, and his lips were pressed into a thin, bloodless line. He was worried, maybe even a little nervous, Adachi noticed, about the revelation of Sayoko being the next victim. Souji didn't respond, and Adachi let a few seconds of silence passed before he asked, worriedly,

"Hey, kid." Souji still didn't look up, and continued to stare blankly at the wood panel floor. Adachi frowned, bent down, and tapped Souji lightly on the side of the head.

"Souji."

Souji glanced up at him in irritation, his eyes flashing with something so incredibly… angry that Adachi flinched as if he'd pressed his hand onto a hot stove. Souji stood up, and Adachi repeated the action, looking down at the shorter teen with a small, unpleasant frown.

"I'm going to bed." Souji mumbled, pushing past Adachi, heading for the bathroom to go and brush his teeth. Adachi made a noise of discomfort, and stared after Souji as the teen shut the bathroom door behind him with a very noticeable slam.

"_Well," _Adachi thought to himself. _"He's obviously miserable. Ungrateful little…"_

He didn't let his thoughts wander, or get farther than that. He likes Souji. The kid, as self-righteous and arrogant as he was, was actually a decent enough person. And Adachi had thought he was… more mature than this.

It was funny how tiny little incidents changed people.

"_Like murder?"_

Adachi frowned.

"_Yes… like murder."_

* * *

"Let's go over what transpired last night."

The Junes Food Court was strangely quiet that morning, as they sat around the white-washed table. Thin streams of light peaked over the horizon, and Adachi watched Souji with as much fascination as a scientist looking a bug under a microscope. The teen seemed to be in a better mood this morning, though Adachi never really could decipher any expression on Souji's face, but there was something… lighter, more airy about him.

As long as the crappy breakfast they had that morning didn't make him nauseous and irritable (Somehow, Adachi had burned the pancakes. He always did have a habit of thinking absent-mindedly to himself while he was cooking) then Adachi supposed the good night's sleep would make the gloomy teen a little more… chipper.

He looked to Naoto now, who had tipped her signature cap low over her eyes, though Adachi could see faintly the long-lashed ultramarine eyes that stared at the middle of the table in deep contemplation.

"There was that bear-y pretty lady!" Teddie let out, grinning much like a child that had been given a whole plate of chocolate chip cookies. His stupid bear pun was ignored and Naoto shot the Shadow an irritated look, as if it were something as irrelevant as saying that Teddie couldn't find his bear suit that morning. Speaking of which, why _was _he wearing his bear suit? He wasn't working as Junes' mascot, so…

"Hey, wasn't it a little… I dunno, weird that she was asleep?" Chie blushed as everyone turned to look at her. "I mean, usually a Shadow or something comes out and says stuff like 'Oh, I'm not really who everyone thinks I am and blah blah blah…'"

"Yeah… it is weird…" Kanji commented, wrinkling his nose. The steel piercing caught a glint of dim sunlight. "S'not important though… is it? We just gotta go in there and dungeon crawl, yeah?" At this, he quickly glanced at Naoto, but then blushed a little and looked away. Rise giggled, laughing to herself as if she'd remembered some private, inside joke.

"Wait," Adachi had thought of something. It was a theory, perhaps an unlikely one but… it was something that maybe, just maybe, he could go on. "What if Uehara had already faced her Shadow? What if… she was thrown in there by the killer, and since there's no Shadow of hers…" He bit the inside of his cheek; a nervous motion. "She's practically a sitting duck in the Other World."

He glanced quickly around at everyone, taking in their indifferent expressions, and then, quickly and amiably began to apologize,

"I-I'm sorry," A sharp intake of breath, an innocuous smile. "That's a stupid theory, ha… ha."

But Naoto seemed to have been thinking, she propped a hand underneath her chin, her ultramarine eyes narrowing beneath the shadows of her hood. She then stated, her voice as cut and dry as it always was when it came to deducting and cogitating over the case,

"It is possible. If Sayoko Uehara somehow knew about Personas, and what we had been doing in the Other World, then she might have become curious about whether or not it was real. However, she also would not have been able to go through the TV unless someone had pushed her in, or if she'd been bestowed some sort of power similar to the power Namatame, Adachi-san and Souji-senpai were all given."

"Oh!" It was Rise, who spoke this time. "Maybe she was able to go through mirrors, just like Kataki!"

At the mere mention of Kataki's name, an almost gloomy, morgue-like atmosphere pervaded amongst them. Souji's eyes narrowed, and Adachi wrinkled his nose in a disgusted, indifferent fashion. The very mention of the man who'd committed suicide in front of all of them was a sort of taboo that silenced them all, until someone broke the said silence, of course.

It seemed now, that Naoto wasn't affected. Adachi wasn't surprised. Naoto had probably seen a lot of things, just as he had, in their line of work. The girl, the Detective Prince, could be as cold as ice sometimes, though.

"Perhaps, but I fear that Uehara is yet another pawn to force either Senpai's or Detective Adachi's hand. No, it almost seems as if the killer is trying to garner our attention."

"Well," Souji hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes a gray fire in the dim sunlight. "They succeeded."

"Yeah." Adachi agreed, thinking vaguely of his father. The image of Kataki pressing Adachi's pistol to his head flitted through his thoughts, fleetingly, disappearing quickly. He neither wanted, nor desired to think about that. It was in the past. And it was unhealthy to dwell on the past. Or at least, he'd heard.

"Oh!" Yukiko turned to Souji, "Souji-kun, I almost forgot. I made you a box lunch, would you like to try it?"

The sickened look on poor Souji's face made Adachi feel a small tinge of sympathy.

He'd heard Souji complain, before, about his companions' cooking.

* * *

"Oh, good, you're here."

Adachi looked up, closing the doors of the police station behind him. Isao Takano looked back, his slate gray eyes glittering with slight joy before turning back to look at the file in front of him. Dojima was, surprisingly, nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he'd gone to the bathroom. The police station was strangely empty as well, save the cabal of secretaries that gathered in the break room eating instant.

"Hey, where is everyone?"

"Scattered. There's a few biker gangs causing trouble up by the highways, but…" There was that strange gleam in his gray eyes again. "The rest are following a new lead we got. It came in, just last night."

Adachi felt something dark settle in the pit of his stomach. The Midnight Channel had been on last night, and he had the darkest, most ugliest feeling that maybe, just maybe… the police had seen Sayoko Uehara on the Midnight Channel. He coughed, and tried not to make his voice sound high and nervous as he asked,

"Um… what lead?"

Takano smiled, a strange sort of smile that seemed a little too pleased. That dark feeling in the pit of his stomach began to writhe once more, writhing and curling until it made him a little more than sick. The secretaries giggled in the break room, talking about the latest gossip like a sect of Inaba's infamous housewives who knew all the hearsay. Adachi refused to smile back, and watched as Takano pushed back a few strands of his too-long black hair, tucking them behind his ear. The detective told him, still smiling in that stupid, secretive way that pissed Adachi off,

"Do you know that rumor?" His tone was strangely… nefarious, like he was telling Adachi about a very corrupt, usurping secret. "The one where you watch a turned off TV at midnight on rainy nights?"

"_Of course. I __**was **__trapped inside of it last December, here, Takano, you damn secretive asshole, I'll tell you all about it. See, I starved inside of there waiting for these damn brats to come and beat the shit out of me." _Adachi thought, irritably, to himself. Then replied,

"Yeah, it's been all over town lately, hasn't it?"

Takano grinned, that same foolish grin that reminded Adachi of the wicked smile he'd shown in Magatsu Inaba. It was, there were no other words to describe it, very creepy. A cold chill crawled down the young detective's spine, something that seemed suspiciously close to foreboding. This was going to be bad news.

"That's right," Takano replied cheerfully, sifting through the folders. In the distance, the gabble of secretaries giggled mindlessly again. "Well, apparently, someone gave out an anonymous tip to the police about seeing Uehara on that so-called Midnight Channel. So everyone went home. It's gonna rain tonight, so everyone's checking it out. There's gonna be a big meeting about it next morning. This case has dragged on long enough, it's about time everyone pitches in and tries to solve it."

Oh yes, the chill that had gone down his spine had been very foreboding indeed. Adachi paled a little.

"_The police are getting involved? Shit, if they trace back the Midnight Channel to us… No, Dojima might tell them about when Souji opened his big, fat, self-righteous mouth and told him all about the Personas. Then," _Adachi shivered to himself. _"Oh crap, I'm screwed, everyone's screwed. Damn it, Souji and his big mouth."_

"Oh, um," He grinned foolishly, deceivingly, "I guess I should head home then, huh?"

Adachi turned on his heel, hurriedly heading out the door, sticking his hand in his pocket, feeling for his cell phone. He needed to tell the Investigation Team this. He had to, hurriedly, quickly. Perhaps Shirogane would be able to put a stop to it.

"Hey, wait a second Adachi."

He stopped, handle on the door of the hospital, then turned around to look at Takano. Takano was shifting through the files again.

"Since you're here, wanna help me with the paperwork?"

"_Takano. I should throw you in the TV, you moron."_

* * *

**HAI GAIS, REMEMBER ME?**

**REMEMBER TAKANO? (Forgot his first name, had to go back and look. I'm a fucking idiot.)**

**Sorry for the long wait, again, but my teachers apparently thought it was hilarious to dump all this homework on us as the days get closer and closer to summer break.**

**And wanna know what summer break means?**

**Back to 2-3 day chapter waits!**

**Also, I'm nearing the finish line with Prince Of Lies, so be prepared for that to be posted, and I've got a few more Adachi stories up my sleeves when I'm finished with Vindicated. (Much shorter than this, thank God.) I'm not leaving the Persona 4 category just yet.**

**As always, feedback is much appreciated. It fuels me. It's like the sugar to my coffee. This story just doesn't feel right without reviews.**


	37. Dead Is The New Alive

Vindicated

Chapter 37: Dead Is The New Alive

_Dead is the new alive!_

_Despair's the new survival!_

_

* * *

_

"You're positive?" Naoto's tinny phone-voice sounded tired, almost afraid within his ears. Adachi nodded to himself back pressed against the dark gray bathroom stall door, hand clenched tightly to the lock as if afraid it would disappear and the door would open any second. He kept his voice low, and he kept his ears pricked for the sound of Takano's footsteps,

"Yeah, Detective Takano said that everyone had gone home to review and observe the Midnight Channel." He paused, sighing, waiting for the impending sound of footsteps wondering why he was taking so long. "Shirogane-chan," He paused again, afraid he'd offended her, but she said nothing and he continued, "Do you think we're screwed?"

Naoto breathed out deeply, the sound making an irritating garble through Adachi's cell phone that sounded oddly like crumpling paper, buried within palms. Adachi assumed she was speaking, as he didn't hear her for a long (Or what seemed like it) time. He listened again for the sound of Takano's footsteps.

"Adachi-san," He leaned against the blue-gray stall, trying to make himself comfortable. He'd heard rumors about how dirty the toilets were, and he decided he'd rather not sit comfortably on the seat. "I do not believe we are, as you say, _screwed, _in fact I think-"

She stopped suddenly, and he heard her pull the phone away from her mouth. He could make out a few sentences behind the palm of her soft, girlish hand,

"_Yakushiji, I am in the middle of an important call, please bring me my coffee afterwards. Thank you."_

Adachi cocked an eyebrow, but kept his 'spoiled brat' comments to himself. Naoto continued, after shooing away whoever Yakushiji was,

"Pardon me. I think, that we can continue our endeavors in the TV without disruption."

"How so?" It sounded bitter, the kind of bitter that tasted like black coffee. "I mean, we aren't exactly supposed to be seen _inside _of a TV. Isn't that just, oh I dunno, **asking **for it?"

He also sounded incredibly impatient, which he was, but he didn't want to take his impatience out on Naoto. The poor Detective Prince hadn't done anything wrong, after all. But he was getting a little irritated. Waiting for Naoto to answer, Adachi listened for footsteps, or the opening of a door. Nothing. Naoto breathed out a little, resulting in more irritating static through his phone. She then replied, her voice as cut and dry as it always was,

"No, that is not what I mean. Do you remember what Izanami and Ameno-Sagiri said?"

Adachi hissed back,

"Do you actually think I _remember? _Geez, Shirogane. Wasting the ace?"

"_Hey, hey, there's no need to be such a bastard." _He added as an afterthought. Naoto seemed to have been thinking the same thing, because she hissed at him, her voice a little higher than she normally kept it,

"Pardon me? What I mean, Detective Adachi, is that, what they had said was along the lines of 'Humans see only what they wish to see. I had created a window to satiate that.' Do you realize what this may mean?"

He froze, back pressed against the blue-gray stall door. He held the phone a few feet from his mouth, his eyes narrowing as he thought. What did it mean? That the detectives who watched the Midnight Channel would only see what they wanted to see? That, whatever they had wanted to see, would be on display for them to see?

"What?" His voice sounded hoarse, tired. He wasn't sure how to answer Naoto's question. He wasn't sure what she meant. Everything seemed… hazy… for some reason. Foggy. As if there were an indecipherable mist pulling at the corners of his mind. His eyes grew heavy, like lead.

"_Shit, I'm tired."_

He rubbed at his eyes with his free sleeve, wondering why he bothered even trying to sleep last night. He'd had too much on his mind. Izanami, Uehara, Souji, why Souji was right about not being able to trust the only person he'd been able to get close to for nearly two years…

He tried not to think about that, and swallowed the heavy knot that had tied itself in the back of his throat.

Naoto sighed, irritated with his obvious obliviousness. She must have thought that _he _was wasting the ace. Calling the kettle black. She then stated, a little bit coldly, too icily for Adachi to be completely comfortable,

"When we, without you," This time she paused, as if listening for Adachi to say something, but he didn't, and she continued. "Confronted Namatame in the hospital, before we discovered who we supposedly thought was the real killer, you," She hesitated again. "Namatame's Shadow appeared on the screen. Declaring that he was the killer."

She paused once more.

Realizing that she was waiting for a sound of agreement, Adachi nodded to himself, forgetting that Naoto could not see him, and said,

"Uh-huh."

"When we fought Ameno-Sagiri in the television, he had said that '_Humans fail to see things as they truly are. They see only what they want to see. A world filled with desires, viewed through a window in which one sees what one wishes to see.' _Do you understand?"

Biting back the sudden, vicious desire to berate Naoto for asking something so incredibly _mean, _(Of course he knew, he wasn't stupid.) he simply replied, listening intently once more for Takano to come for him,

"Wait, let me get this straight," He froze. Somewhere, off in the distance, he could hear footsteps. Takano. "I've got to go."

"What?" Naoto sounded baffled, as if she really couldn't believe he was going to hang up on her, without telling her his answer. "Adachi! _Adachi!"_

He flipped the phone closed just as the bathroom door open, the conversation incomplete, the annoyance of being interrupted so very rudely grating on Adachi's nerves.

"You're still in here?" Takano asked, his voice questioning. "Geez, what's taking so long?"

* * *

"Damn." Naoto cursed, staring at her cell phone's cramped mini-screen in dark annoyance. The bold letters _**Call Ended **_stared back at her like a demon's gleaming eyes in the darkness, daring her to call back and to see what would happen. She flipped the cell closed, and pocketed it before turning towards the television in her room at the Shirogane Estate. It had been turned off, in preparation for the Midnight Channel, hours ago.

The antique grandfather clock that was turned sideways in the corner of her room also stared back, its hands frozen eternally on 6-o'-clock. It had been an antique that had broken a long time ago, and for some reason, Naoto had no idea why, she stared at the prized item which held no significant value to her other than the fact that it had been a décor present from her grandfather. The ancient glass face of the clock (A part of it, approximately 4 centimeters from the center, was cracked, leaving a jagged hole near the left corner) gleamed with elongated orbs of light, spider-webbed across the glass.

Why she was thinking of something so incredibly unimportant and unrelated to the case she had no idea. Perhaps for the sentimental value of looking at the one thing she considered useless in her room. She never could get rid of things. Her belongings were scattered everywhere across the Shirogane Estate, simply because she could never bring herself to be rid of them.

It was a habit she was unable to tear herself from.

She then turned towards the glass window of her room, one of the three that occupied a whole wall in her bedroom. Rain peppered the glass earnestly, spider-webbing it and giving it an almost… broken impression. Now she took her watch and stared at it, seeing that Souji was approximately 50 meters away and that it was now _11:58 _PM.

These minutes seemed to go on for hours. Hours in which it was just Naoto, the broken grandfather clock, the turned off television, and Naoto's ever and always deducting mind. There was something that still tugged at her, an ever-nagging problem in which she thought about.

And that, had been the problem and issue of Izanami.

The issue of the traitor and higher power, and the fact that Kataki's letter never said that the two weren't one and same. And, if they were one and the same, the only person Naoto could truly think to fit that description, would be Izanami.

And Adachi knew it.

And he hated it.

Naoto was jolted out her reverie by the sudden sound of static, and zigzag motions, black and white, danced merrily across her screen in an almost repetitive fashion. She turned fully to the TV, away from the rain and the sound of the gale outside. She removed her hat, letting it drop to the floor before running a hand through her messy ultramarine hair, eyes reflecting the sudden abnormal light of the television.

The screen jolted for a second, the zigzag motions turning sharply to the right, and the picture became suddenly clearer, vivid. Sharp.

Sayoko Uehara was not there.

She was gone.

* * *

"_She looks up to the mirrored glass, she sees a horse and rider pass. And she says-"_

Souji stared blankly at the TV, ignoring his phone as the Emilie Autumn song pressed on and on, attempting to tell him to pick up the damn phone because it's probably Yosuke or Adachi or Kanji or Naoto and they're probably thinking the same damned thing as him,

"_Where the hell is Sayoko?"_

The labyrinth, the one they had seen the previous night, was still clearly visible on the screen. A maze of browning stone, the corners slightly covered in dark green ivy and moss. But, where they had seen Sayoko, where they had seen the nurse sleeping… was plainly vacant. In fact, it appeared as if… Sayoko wasn't in there at all. As if… it had been a mirage, a trick played by everyone's eyes and minds.

But that couldn't have been possible. They had all seen Sayoko in the television. They had.

Hadn't they?

"_Where I'm half sick of shadows, and I can't see the sky… Everyone else can watch as the tides come in, but why can't I?"_

Souji grasped for his phone, thrown haphazardly onto the table in front of Adachi's midnight blue couch before the ringtone ended, and the call would go ignored. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it wasn't Yosuke, as it usually was, but it was Naotoinstead.

Quite a surprise. He usually didn't get calls from Naoto. She seemed to prefer texts to speaking.

"Hello?" He flipped open the cell phone and asked before it went to voicemail because he was too busy thinking to pick up the damn phone.

"Ah, senpai? I'm sure you are aware that we have a problem." She sounded tense, a sort of tense that Souji didn't exactly like too much. It was the kind of tense that reminded Souji of when Naoto had faced her Shadow, and when she'd let her voice get strangely higher, girly-er.

She actually sounded cute. But Souji had decided long ago that he would leave her to Kanji.

Ah, why was he thinking about this?

"Sayoko is gone." He said, in a voice that reminded him of plain white paper. Dull. Bored. Boring. He shifted his arm in its cast, grimacing as a strange sharp pain crawled viciously up his arm. He flinched, his other fingers twitching as they gripped his phone. "Where do you think she went, Naoto?"

"I honestly have no clue. If I were to give you a current theorem of mine, would you listen?"

Souji shifted uneasily from foot to foot before answering,

"Of course."

Naoto took in a sharp intake of breath, before answering,

"It may be hard to accept, but I have reason to believe that Sayoko had been set there to force either you or Detective Adachi's hand. I think the same may have been so for Kataki Adachi, however, Kataki may have figured out he was a pawn, and may have come face-to-face with this so-called 'higher power' and the 'traitor'. Which, as some of us have come to believe, is or may be Izanami. She may be manipulating Adachi-san, as she has done before. I also believe that Sayoko may have escaped or was put there as a trap to lure you into the Other World today. But seeing as that plan failed…"

She trailed off, and Souji had the sense that she was finished. She might have been right. He, and Adachi as well, were doubtful of Izanami's true intentions. There had and was no reason to trust the Goddess of Lies, Earth and Darkness. The goddess that had, before the revelation that Adachi couldn't remember a single thing about the murders, tricked and manipulated everyone into her own game to help save humanity.

He had the sneaking suspicion that Naoto was… right. That her theory was correct and valid. There was, and seemed to be, a sense of security in believing that something was the truth. In believing that… they were always right.

And he confirmed that with her,

"Naoto-kun…" He paused, hesitant. And quickly glanced around Adachi's apartment in case Izanami would seemingly pop out of nowhere and attack and strangle him. "I think you may be right. I think Izanami is both the traitor, and the higher power."

There was another sharp intake of breath, as if she couldn't believe that he was actually saying that. She then stated, her voice sharp, careful, cautious,

"This is what I believe, also, Senpai."

"Good to see I'm not the only one." He quickly replied, truly and fully relieved.

"Let us talk about this tomorrow, with everyone else. We must also go through this… labyrinth as well."

"Yeah."

And then the call ended.

Souji stared at the mini-screen, frowning. The fact that Yosuke hadn't called was also bothering him, but he decided that Yosuke probably fell asleep studying for the mid-term exams that were coming up.

But it still bothered him. He flipped to phone closed, and placed it back on the table, turning around to do so.

And there stood Izanami, her white robes clinging to her as she stared at him with such indecipherable ruby eyes. She looked placid, pale as she stood there and Souji froze because he realized that…

She had heard _everything that he had said._

"So I am a murderer, am I?" She asked him, her voice as equally placid as she looked. "It seems almost fitting that you received my husband as a Persona. You truly are too much like him, Child Of Man."

* * *

The puppet looked up at the tall man, his eyes a gleaming brown in the shadows. The tall man twirled the queen chess piece between his fingers, leaning against the dirty wall that made up the outside of Tatsumi Textiles.

The puppet looked strangely bothered.

* * *

"It is fitting, also," Souji replied, staring back at the goddess with a gaze that was as cold as ice, and looked the part as well, the silver shining angrily despite the darkness in a metallic sort of way that seemed just so… icy. "That I discover who you really are. That I see through your lies and see what you really, really _are. _A rotting heart beneath an icy, plastic person."

"I am not the traitor." She tucked a strand of stringy silver hair behind her ear, ruby eyes gleaming with something so… incredibly malevolent in Souji's eyes.

"Then you are the higher power. The murderer. The true conductor behind everything," His teeth clenched, grating like a cheese grinder. "_**Again."**_

Izanami stared indignantly back at him, ruby eyes gleaming like glass fires inside their depths. There was no sound between them, and a sort of hollow, empty space that separated them from destroying each other. Izanami's expression was indecipherable, a blank canvas in the darkness. A cipher that Souji couldn't understand. Souji's arm (The only good one he had, he reminded himself) twitched, then balled into a fist.

"Humans do not listen to the Truth." She said, her voice soft, like clouds, yet the sound felt as if it had whipped Souji angrily in the face. There was a hidden wrath there. Something Souji couldn't describe. "They never listen to the Truth. If they see the Truth, their eyes are diverted away from it. They turn to false images. To things that are not reality. Reality does not reach them. I am telling you the truth, Child Of Man. I am neither murderer nor betrayer."

"We crave false images, right?" Souji took a step forward, trying to make himself seem more intimidating than he really was. Like a kitten trying to scare a bully. "And you made a window for those false images! You really are the root of all evil!"

This time, Izanami laughed, a sort of sound that reminded Souji of church bells in the morning. Of something that was so incredibly cold, yet so very soft and nondescript. It reminded Souji of a blank canvas yet again. His balled fist tightened even more.

Then, the most amazing thing happened.

Izanami _flickered._

Like a dying flame on a candle, the goddess literally flickered, her image, her physical being disappearing altogether for a second. Souji took a step back once more, his eyes widening.

Was he right? Had he been right?

Then there was pain. The sound of his cast snapping. The feeling of sharp fingers tugging on his broken arm sharply and pulling it down. Souji's mouth opened in a silent scream, and he made a move to crumble to the floor, but Izanami's black, sharp-clawed hands held him in place. A pool of darkness, a lava-like abyss pooled beneath his feet, sucking in his well-polished black shoes, sucking in _him._

"You are wrong." And it was a sound so reassuring that Souji almost thought Izanami was _mocking _him. Tears pooled at the edges of his silver eyes, and the pain of her tugging on his broken arm was so incredibly… agonizing, so excruciating. His mouth was still parted in a scream that made no noise. No noise at all.

Then there was the sound of the door opening, and the sound of bags being dropped, and the sound of Adachi's voice, so sorrowful and so stunned as it broke through the impending silence,

"W-What the hell's going on?"

* * *

Naoto sat inside her chair, chewing listlessly on the end of her thumbnail, her eyes narrowed in thought. Her phone rang, and she reached forward for it, flipped it open and answered,

"This is Naoto Shirogane, may I ask who's calling?"

"Ah, Detective Shirogane?" It was Isao Takano.

"Yes?"

"We found a Jane Doe hanging from the telephone wires by the Muncipal Hospital. It's… it's…" There was a sort of choking sound.

"Yes?" It came out a little irritated.

"The Jane Doe is believed to be…"

Naoto waited as Takano took a deep breath.

"Sayoko Uehara."

* * *

**HA! BETCHA DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING NOW DID YOU!**

**I have a new poll up for Oneshots. Be sure to vote!**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**


	38. Within The Labyrinth

**My spacebar's almost broken… X-D**

**

* * *

**

Vindicated

Chapter 38: Within The Labyrinth

_Twist and writhe…_

_Beneath the demon's guise…_

_

* * *

_

The Junes grocery bag slipped from Adachi's fingers and plopped onto the floor with a loud, deafening thud. A cabbage, that evening's dinner, rolled out of the plastic bag, rolling and rolling and rolling until it bumped against the corner of the living room. Adachi's face went blank.

Izanami was holding Souji's broken arm down, the sling splayed across Souji's right foot. She let go and the poor, pained teenager crumbled to the floor in a heap as her eyes came to rest on the tall, hunched, knowing figure by the front door. Souji's lips parted in a silent scream, and a few tears trickled across the boy's pale face.

Time seemed to have stopped. The seconds of silence reached across the sands of time, arcing in the air, doing a painful, silent dance.

Then the sudden movement of Adachi pouncing across the room, tackling Izanami's mid-section and the two tumbled to the ground in a heap of black, white and silver. Souji took this time to sit upright, cradling his arms, watching the two as tears ran quickly down his face. There was the sound of a smack, a slap. Izanami said nothing, and made no sound. Adachi's hands ran to her throat as he sat on her, pinning her to the ground.

"You _lied." _He hissed between clenched teeth. One hand tightened around her throat, the other curled into a fist which he raised into the air. "You _bitch. _You _liar."_

"Tohru-kun." Izanami's whisper was soft, like a feather, tickling his ears. The fist in the air wavered, and Souji watched as Adachi punched the floor right beside Izanami's face. He couldn't bring himself to punch her. It didn't matter how much he wanted to. It didn't matter that he thought she was a _liar _and a _murderer _and _how did he not see this coming?_

"Shut up." He condemned. "Shut up, shut up, shut _up!"_

He punched the floor beside her face, and she didn't wince, or make any movement. She looked resigned, Adachi and Souji noticed. As if she knew this was coming and made no precautions to attempt to try and avoid it. Adachi punched the floor again, and the wood splintered beneath the abuse. Souji leaned against Adachi's midnight blue loveseat.

"I _knew _it." Adachi whispered, his voice a crazy, distorted version of what it should have been. "I knew that you, _you little bitch, _that you had something to do with this. With my memory-loss, with these damn murders. And _surprise, surprise," _The hand on Izanami's throat tightened once more, pushing her into the floor. She looked up at him, ruby eyes resigned and impatient. Get on with it, they seemed to say. "Here you are, hurting Souji."

At the mention of Souji, Adachi's eyes flicked over to the boy leaning against the loveseat. And Adachi's voice grew suddenly low with remorse, regret as he spoke,

"I'm sorry, Souji-kun. I never should have… I should've _listened _to you."

Then his head snapped back to Izanami, and his voice became reproachful once more,

"You caught my eye, _Izanami-chan, _you caught my eye and I was absolutely _positive _that you were incapable of doing anything horrible. Like a goddamned doting grandmother. Looks like I was wrong." Izanami simply stared at him, unblinkingly, owlishly.

"Now tell me," The corners of his mouth dipped down. "Which are you? Murderer, traitor, or _both?"_

* * *

The phone nearly fell from Naoto's fingers.

Sayoko was dead? Killed by the killer?

"I… I see. Thank you, Takano-san." Then she hung up, letting her phone fall to the floor with a loud clatter. The light reflecting off the glass surface of the grandfather clock moved opaquely, and Naoto stared at it, her body becoming strangely numb in the revelation that they had _failed._

_She _had failed.

Feeling suddenly cold, Naoto took her jacket off her desk chair in the corner of the room and slipped it on, curling the welcome fabric tightly around her thin body. How could she have not seen this coming? The killer had successfully killed people before, when they had been too late or distracted to watch the Midnight Channel, but the thought of knowing that Sayoko's murder was irrevocably _their _fault…

It made Naoto want to cry. To scream.

But the thought of doing so seemed childish to her, and she gathered her now broken pride and stared at the broken grandfather clock in her room with a suddenly obscure look.

What mattered now, was capturing the suspect, the possible culprit behind everything.

Izanami.

* * *

"Neither." Izanami had replied, voice quiet and mild-mannered, despite being pinned to the hardwood floor of Adachi's apartment, by Adachi himself. Something split in Adachi's face, and he shot her an angry, vicious sneer. Souji twitched. He knew that sneer. It had been burned into his brain in Magatsu Inaba.

That was the sneer of a madman.

"Liar." His hands twitched around Izanami's throat. For a sudden moment, nothing mattered around him, beside him and Izanami. Nothing at all. "A liar and a bitch."

"I created the Midnight Channel, bestowed power upon you, Namatame, and the Child Of Man. That much is true. However, I had not foreseen what would happen to you. The wiping of your memories. The fact that you cannot remember anything, when under the influence of _him."_

Adachi froze. As did Souji. The sneer disappeared from his face, his facial features becoming suddenly soft, gentle, as he realized what Izanami had just said. He looked at her, her silver hair splayed beneath her head like a silk cloth, and murmured, so softly that Souji had to really listen,

"Who's him?"

Izanami said nothing, and simply stared up at Adachi with ruby eyes.

"Who is _him!" _Adachi's tone rose sharply, his black eyes narrowed. This time, Izanami replied, her voice suddenly divine, unearthly, dark,

"As I have said before. The rules of your contract and mine, state that I cannot tell you. Remember what I said, Tohru-kun? _I like to watch you humans run around like rats._"

And then she disappeared. Adachi tumbled forward, catching himself with his arms, and he was frozen. Izanami was gone. And whoever _him _was…

Had Izanami betrayed them? Betrayed him?

Souji struggled to his feet, using his one good hand to lift himself up, but he fell, his bad arm folding beneath him. Souji squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the awful pain that was too come… but it never did. Souji blinked, then looked at his, supposedly, broken arm.

"A-Adachi-san… my arm…" Souji's eyebrows disappeared into his silver fringe. "Izanami fixed it."

Adachi did not reply, but he did gather himself up off the floor of his apartment, and stared malevolently at the splintered wood that had been beside Izanami's head.

"We need to find her."

"_I need to find her."_

* * *

Deftly, the tall man reached forward and yanked the White Queen off of the chessboard, throwing it to the feet of the puppet. The puppet looked up at him, silent and questioning.

"She's gone." The tall man smiled. "Checkmated by her own King."

* * *

"N-Naoto? The hell are you doin' here?" Kanji stuttered, standing in the doorway of Tatsumi Textiles. Naoto Shirogane looked up at him, eyes narrowed in the darkness. The cracked streetlight in the corner of the street flickered opaquely.

"Tatsumi-kun, I require your assistance."

Kanji blushed, and turned away from Naoto wiping the area beneath his nose benignly. Naoto craned her head to see what he was doing, but could not see. So she shuffled her feet, and looked down at the Textile Shop's welcome mat.

Souji-senpai probably would have been a better choice to run to help for. But Kanji…

Naoto flicked the brim of her cap down lower, the shadows hiding her flushed cheeks. Her pride was already shattered. Shattering it more would lead to a tantrum. And tantrums were childish. Kanji turned back to her, shivering despite the warmth that came from within the Textile shop.

"S-So, yeah, what's the matter?" He puffed out his chest, but fiddled with the locket around his neck. A nervous habit.

"I am heading to Adachi-san's apartment, to apprehend the true culprit behind all of this."

Kanji's face went blank for a second, then his lips pulled back in an expression of anger. He griped,

"That bastard… is he-"

"Izanami, Tatsumi-kun." Naoto corrected him. "It's Izanami."

And the two turned into the street, like it was destiny.

* * *

The fog was beginning to roll in, covering the shopping district in a covering of transparent and transient gray. Adachi stood off alone, staring out at nothing, his face a placid, ephemeral mask. Souji, who also stood off to the side, several feet away from the brooding detective, wondered what Adachi was thinking. It was obvious, that Adachi had liked Izanami. And the fact that she was a traitor…

It obviously perturbed Adachi.

Souji jumped when Adachi suddenly whipped around and punched the stone wall of an alley, the smacking sound was eerie, inside of the fog, inside of the mist that had been part of the world's greatest deathtrap.

"Damn it!" Adachi yelled, irately, his fingers tangling in his black shock of hair. He fell to the ground, sinking, the fog hugging his sides. Souji rushed to his side, placing a hand on the shoulder of the jacket-less detective…

Only to have Adachi's fist connect with his chin.

Souji stumbled backwards, and Adachi caught him by the collar of his shirt and pulled the teenager forward. Souji punched him back, his fist punching the side of Adachi's jaw, and the older man stumbled backwards, pulling Souji down to the garbage-ridden ground with him.

Souji was on top of Adachi, pinning the older man down. Knowing exactly where to hit, Adachi brought his knee to Souji's jewels, and the poor teenager groaned, rolling off of Adachi and scrambling to the floor. Adachi did the same.

Adachi glared at him, eyes lighter in the ambiance of the fog. He looked placid, uncaring, as if everything had been lost.

He wanted to take his frustrations, everything he'd bottled inside, out on Souji.

"She's gone." Adachi whispered, voice obscure. "And it's your fault."

Souji jumped forward, and landed a kick on Adachi's stomach. The older man grunted in uncaring pain, and punched Souji's nose. It hurt, quite a lot, but Souji counted his lucky stars that it didn't break. Adachi bent his head between his shoulders, like a bull getting ready to charge, and Souji tackled him. Souji scratched at Adachi's face.

Then there was the feeling of being pulled. Two pale arms grabbed his own arms, and Souji saw the glint of a locket. Adachi was being pulled away as well, by some small, unknown shadow.

Then Souji realized it was Kanji and Naoto.

Adachi stared at the garbage ridden floor, eyes blank.

"Betrayed…" He murmured.

Naoto and Kanji exchanged worried glances.

* * *

Izanami sat on the roof of Junes, watching as the fog rolled over Inaba. Bringing a hand to her pale face, she realized that it seemed… wet.

"_I am… crying…?"_

* * *

_May 13__th__ 2012_

"It is agreed then, that Izanami is the culprit behind the murder case?" Naoto was the first one to speak, when they, the Investigation Team, had sat down. Adachi was not there, unsurprisingly enough. Souji nodded, as did the rest of the team. Upon learning of Sayoko's death, Souji had gone deathly quiet, as did the rest of the team, but he seemed… subdued. The thick air of failure hung around them like pesky mosquitos, but they tried to ignore it.

"Where is Adachi-san?" Asked Chie, looking at the single empty seat beside Naoto and Souji with curious eyes. Yosuke glanced at the seat as well, equally curious as Chie. Souji was the one to reply to that,

"He's looking… for Izanami."

The Investigation Team looked down at the table now, as equally subdued and quiet and _sympathetic _as Souji had been, a few moments ago. They had known the obvious for a while, that Adachi and Izanami had a _thing, _and it was vaguely… depressing to see that Adachi was pawing after her like a lost, forlorn puppy. The betrayal of Izanami was a fresh wound upon the other wounds Adachi bore on his heart. And he seemed incredibly torn, catatonic. Naoto had no success in attempting to rouse him, when she and Kanji had pulled Adachi and Souji off of each other.

Souji bore a black bruise on his chin, and another beneath his eye. Adachi was in a similar condition, bearing a nice, black eye that he couldn't have given even two shits about. Looking up at the sky, at the thin white clouds that stood in contrast to the deep, mellow blue of the sky, Yukiko commented, benignly,

"It's going to rain again."

"It's been raining a lot lately, Yukiko-san." Yosuke said, looking up at the sky as well. The wind picked up a little, rousing Naoto from her own personal reveries as she sneezed into the crook of her arm. Kanji looked at her, blushed, then looked down at the white-washed picnic table the whole Investigation Team was crowded around.

Adachi walked from around the corner, passing gossiping housewives and bored children, and not for the first time, he wonders if the universe has somehow tattooed _Screw me over _onto his forehead. Hands in the pockets of his jacket, he approached the Investigation Team in a forlorn, indifferent sort of way. Rise looked at him airily, and he wished that they would all just _disappear _because he doesn't need their _sympathy _because they know _nothing._

"Shirogane." They all turned to look at Adachi, gazes varying in degrees of sympathy, empathy and curiosity. Naoto glanced up at him, ultramarine eyes fixed on his face, as if analyzing him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I think we should look through Sayoko's dungeon for clues."

And they all agree with him, because they don't want to _annoy _him.

It's a sad fact.

* * *

Teddie froze, and Rise did as well, a few centimeters behind him. The yellow fog curled around them, even though they didn't know it, thanks to the glasses. Adachi stared at the white body outlines on the checkerboard floor of the lobby and then at Rise and Teddie.

"What is it, Ted?" Yosuke asked, gripping his double kunai tightly. He looked at the clown-colored bear, and Teddie's little black nose twitched, and Rise summoned Kanzeon quickly, the radar slipping over her eyes as the black figure stood benignly behind her.

"There's someone in here!" Rise proclaimed, eyes widening behind the radar. Kanzeon's satellite twirled interminably around. Rise then bit the bottom of her lip, looking suddenly disconcerted. Souji jumped, then murmured, questionably,

"…Izanami?"

Rise continued, her voice flustered by something unknown,

"There is someone in here but…" Rise nibbled her bottom lip. "There's some strong force… I can't tell who it is…"

Naoto took a step forward, and pushed her glasses up with a finger, "I believe it is safe to assume that this _strong force _Rise-san is speaking of is Izanami."

"It's in Sayoko's dungeon." Rise murmured, and Kanzeon shivered behind her, as if something icy had been shoved down her blue and white striped robes. Rise shivered as well, fingers clenched around the radar.

Souji's eyes flicked towards Adachi, who said nothing.

"Let's go then, partner." Yosuke winked at Souji, grinning.

"Yeah."

* * *

The entrance of the labyrinth was separated into four different entrances. The dark gray walls rose heavily into the black and red sky, covered in various patches of dark green moss. But that hadn't been what truly bothered the team, it had been the fact that there were _four _entrances. Adachi shot all four a sweeping glance, as did Souji.

"Looks like we're gonna have to split up into teams. Ai yi yi…" Adachi mumbled, scratching the back of his languidly. Souji nodded, and gave everyone a gesture to come forward.

"We'll have to split up into teams, to see which way is the right way to Izanami. Rise and Adachi," The two mentioned members of the Team looked up at Souji. "You'll be the first team. Rise will be able to contact us and help, and Adachi, you obviously can hold your own in the TV. Naoto, Kanji and Yosuke will be the second team. Teddie, you're with me-"

"I get to be with Sensei!" Teddie beamed, jumping in the air as if in pure, unadulterated joy. "Thank you beary much, Sensei!"

Souji smiled, a gentle smile, and continued,

"Teddie and I will be the third team. Which leaves Yukiko and Chie as the fourth team."

Chie grinned, and folded her arms over her chest, happy to be with her best friend. Yukiko nodded.

"Be careful, partner." Yosuke said, glancing over at Souji.

"Yeah. I know."

Souji looked over at everyone, a bright figure in contrast to the dark, looming walls of Sayoko's labyrinth behind him. He proclaimed, as a leader should when leading a group,

"If someone finds the right entrance, contact Rise immediately. Rise, you will then spread the information around to everyone."

"Whatever you say, Senpai." Rise giggled, winking lasciviously at him. Adachi could have sworn that every girl within a twenty-foot radius had shot her an angry, protective and _possessive _look. Adachi glanced at Rise, and wondered, not for the first time, if the universe had** actually** tattooed _screw me over _on his forehead.

* * *

**What I learned today: There really is such a thing as a gay bathhouse.**

**Feedback is appreciated.**


	39. Where The Truth Lies

Vindicated

Chapter 39: Where The Truth Lies

_Yeah, naked truth lies…_

_Only if you realize!_

_

* * *

_

Of all the people he had to get stuck with, why did it have to be Rise Kujikawa? The girl was senselessly bubbly, and more of an annoying cheerleader than anything else. _(Adachi-san! It's weak to ice! Awesome, Adachi-san! Adachi-san, you're poisoned!) _And for some reason, he had really, really wanted to rip off his ears and stuff them somewhere where they would never, ever have to listen to Rise's grating voice ever again.

However, he liked his ears. They were a decent size. And such fleeting, unattainable desires were far from within his grasp.

So he tried to put up with Rise's bubbly attitude, and cheerleading as he climbed up the steps to the next floor. Stepping over a patch of moss, with Rise trailing behind him, Kanzeon shielding her eyes with a silver radar, he wondered how everyone else was doing. Feeling slightly chilly, he pulled his jacket around him, tightly. He'd calmed down a bit, since the… revelation that Izanami had betrayed them, but even so, thoughts were plaguing his mind.

Who was _him? _Izanami had mentioned a 'him', which, quite possibly, could have meant a different higher power. She'd also, mentioned, the fact that whoever _him _was, had influenced Adachi. Perhaps it was Ameno-Sagiri? Perhaps Ameno-Sagiri hadn't actually been a mere _fragment _of Izanami herself, but a truly independent being, that Izanami, for some _random _reason, felt the need to protect?

The thought of Izanami just protecting _him, _whoever him was, instead of being just a simple traitor, and possibly the puppet master behind everything seemed much too sweet to be true.

But if that were true, that Ameno-Sagiri was an independent being, why not just keep fighting? Ameno-Sagiri had seen humanity's potential in Souji and his cabal, and had stopped, lifting the fog from Inaba and quit using Adachi's body as a vessel. Izanami herself had done the same. So… what if _him _was someone completely different? Perhaps it was a god who _didn't _see the potential in humanity? Maybe… it was someone who's goal was to rid the world _of _humanity?

Maybe…

"Adachi-san, watch out!"

Adachi rolled to the side quickly, narrowly avoiding the Agidyne shot at him by a Scarlet Turret. He withdrew his pistol from its holster, along with the card that contained Bishamon, crushed the card and called forth,

"Bishamon!"

The single Scarlet Turret rolled lazily toward him, a mock toy cannon. Bishamon, checkered and wielding two spiked maces, loomed from behind Adachi in a blast of silver light. Rise blurted out the weaknesses from behind him, and Adachi hardly listened to her.

"Ziodyne!" He yelled.

The Scarlet Turret was hit by a bolt of lightning, disappearing quickly into a cloud of darkness. Strangely, the Shadows in Sayoko's dungeon were incredibly weak. Puny, almost, in comparison to the Investigation Team. Which was strange, the Team itself was out of practice, having not delved into the Television for quite some time, at least not since… since Kataki had died. Adachi continued walking, Rise jogging forward quickly to catch up with his long strides.

He attempted to ease himself back into a reverie as he and Rise continued crawling through part of the labyrinth.

Souji's Shadow and Kataki were connected somehow to Izanami and whomever 'him' was. Souji, obviously, was originally one of the three that Izanami had given power to. And Kataki was Adachi's father so… did that mean that _Namatame _was connected to _Sayoko _in some way? Was this all a part of some greater plan that involved the three of them? Did the gods think this was some hilarious joke?

Souji's Shadow had proclaimed that _"This wasn't over." _So, what kind of meaning did that have, within itself? That there was plenty to happen before they got to the Big Bad? Adachi shivered, and then abruptly stopped, sneezing. He was coming down with a cold. Plausible, considering the miserable weather that was recently plaguing Inaba.

Kataki had given mention of both a higher power, and a traitor in the letter that was tucked somewhere inside of Adachi's apartment. Which meant that it very possibly, was either Izanami or… 'him'.

He continued to think harder. The mirror's connection to the Other World was also something unexplained. Izanami herself had said that it was a sister to the television, a change and malfunction in things. So, unless Izanami herself had created the mirrors' powers, the only other person who could have created the mirrors' powers was whomever or whatever 'him' was. And in which case, 'him' would be… a god.

Something clicked, deep inside of his mind. The moss-covered walls of Sayoko's dungeon, Rise trailing behind him, everything seemed to disappear until it was just him, alone and isolated in the darkness. Something had clicked, with the revelation and theory that there was another being, besides Izanami, behind all of this.

Izanami had said something along the lines of that theory, long ago. She had hinted even then, at the theory of another god.

_"There are more demons other than myself that have escaped the gates of Yomi. Find this killer, child of man, and find your vindication…"_

"We're on the next floor." Announced Rise, caught up enough to be walking beside him. She seemed to have noticed that he was thinking, because she was looking at him strangely as if she'd repeated her announcement several times. In fact, Adachi hadn't even realized that they'd walked up the stairs onto the next floor.

"Oh." Was all he said, and Rise looked at him, very suspiciously, as if he'd said something that meant two things.

All that mattered now, Adachi supposed, ignoring Rise's gaze as they bore holes into the back of his head, was getting Izanami. The questions could be asked later.

And the answers would be given.

* * *

The tall man stared at the White Queen, cast from the game alongside his own Bishop and Knight, an odd almost unearthly sort of smile spread wide across his face. The alley between Tatsumi Textiles and some other place acted almost like his home, as he stayed there for long hours at a time, awaiting his puppet.

But today, his puppet was not there.

No, today, in this garbage-ridden alley that was not at all spacious, there stood a woman in white at the mouth of the alley, glaring at him, her ruby eyes lit with something that resembled repressed affection. Yet, there was no affection in that glare, for it was there for only a second, before Izanami had forced the gaze, the expression, into heated nonchalance.

"You." She hissed, voice distorted. The tall man grinned, brown fedora playing angry shadows across his face. His gray eyes twinkled, and the face below the shadows flickered into a mass of complete darkness. Two gray orbs, the eyes of the black mass, stared back at Izanami.

"I wondered how you escaped my domain." The tall man, the black mass asked, gray orbs crinkling in almost plastic amusement. "Izanagi trapped you within Yomi for the exact reason that you wouldn't be able to escape."

"Fool." She hissed again. A skeletal red arm reached out from beneath her pale white sleeve, and her robes waved around voluminously, as Izanami's irritation and anger intensified. Her true arm, the red, skeletal appendage, pointed at the black mass, who only laughed.

"You wouldn't dare hurt mortals, now would you?" His arms, also black masses, spread out, signaling the two stores which the alley was between. "They've abandoned us. We're considered mere myths now, yet you and that old fool stand by them loyally. So you wouldn't attempt to kill me. Not here."

The skeletal appendage disappeared back into Izanami's sleeve. And her expression turned into one of immediate regret. Her ruby eyes were cast downward.

"I should have killed you when you were still a defenseless little babe."

"Ah, but you didn't." The black mass looked almost as if it were… grinning. "You're soft."

* * *

Souji ran forward, Teddie squeaking mercilessly behind him. It was an annoying sound, not unlike that of a squeaking chair, but it didn't bug Souji nearly as much as it usually did. He was thinking, ignoring the dull pains of his shiners which had been given to him by one Tohru Adachi. Of course, in all fairness, Adachi's uncanny ability to lash out at things that annoyed him severely lead to their fight.

He dodged an attack from a Shadow, slicing through it with ease as it disappeared into a cloud of purplish darkness. He continued to run, feeling oddly at ease as he crawled through the dungeon.

He was worried about Adachi, for the exact reason that the man had trouble controlling his whims. He lashed out when he couldn't control anything. He complained about boundaries. Souji had the feeling that if they found the actual way to Izanami inside of the labyrinth, Adachi would go on without them, to find Izanami, to get the answers to the things Souji absolutely knew Adachi had wanted to ask Izanami.

It worried Souji, and he wondered if he was being too much of a Mama Bear.

* * *

"Soft. What foolish nonsense is this?" Asked Izanami. There was a look on her face that was neither angry nor pissed. No, she looked absolutely placid. She had forced everything back down, had forced her expression into one of absolute nonchalance. The black mass, the tall man, took a step forward, and Izanami took a tentative, cautious step backwards. She was wary of the tall man, the black mass.

Understandably wary, of course. This man was a god.

"Is he your plaything, now?" The tall man now asked, taking yet another step towards her. She took yet another step back. "Well? Answer me."

The look on Izanami's face clearly stated that she wasn't going to answer that question.

And the tall man knew it.

The tall man simply grinned, a menacing sort of grin that looked so incredibly evil, so incredibly malevolent, that Izanami visibly flinched, glaring at the black mass that was once the tall man.

And then a giant, red, skeletal appendage thrust itself through the mid-section of the tall man, making the black mass fall into the chessboard behind him. Black and white chess pieces scattered throughout the air, landing in a messy heap at Izanami's toes. The goddess jumped forward, and Inaba became enveloped in a strange, yellow fog.

The gods were fighting.

The tall man giggled, an insane sort of giggle that reminded Izanami of branches cracking. This god was a maniacal one. The black mass dispersed into a raging cloud of _something _purplish and yellowish. Like a Shadow dissipating after being defeated. Izanami's silver hair turned black, growing longer and curling into thick dreadlocks that spread out behind her like a big black blanket. Her facial features became faceless.

Mortals be damned, these two would fight.

The dreary yellow fog was so incredibly thick. Thicker than the fog that had enveloped Inaba last December. The air seemed to chill, with a chill that seemed so incredibly reminiscent of the tops of Mt. Fuji, cold and dangerous-feeling. The true form of Izanami, bound in white bandages, black hair flopping out wildly behind her, watched the tall man from the mouth of the alley. The fog would have been too thick for anyone to see anything. And no one would dare walk outside.

Izanami gasped suddenly, reverting to her human form desperately. The tall man saw this as a chance to escape, and did.

Izanami's ruby eyes gleamed in the thickness of the fog, like two pinpricks of light. Like dying red streetlights in the haze.

That word ran through Izanami's head as the tall man scrambled past her, exploding out into the alley,

"_No!"_

She made no attempt to chase the man, but did turn around and ran…

Towards Junes.

* * *

Adachi and Rise had found the entrance.

However, Rise was knocked unconscious, slumped against a gray wall. Kanzeon had disappeared in an explosion of silver light, and Adachi placed his handgun back inside of its holster, whispering quiet apologies to Rise. She'd told the group of their discovery of the door, then turned to Adachi to explain whatever plan Souji had come up with.

And Adachi had hit her in the forehead, very hard, with the butt of his handgun, effectively knocking her out. He whispered more apologies, feeling suddenly incredibly horrible about the fact that he'd knocked out a _friend._

But he needed to do this, on his own.

Placing Rise into a position where she would be more comfortable, Adachi turned to the double door that lead to the end of Sayoko's dungeon.

Izanami was in there.

"_Adachi!" _Souji yelled. _"Adachi! Stop!"_

Adachi put both hands on both handles of the double door and in a single, damning motion, opened the door.

In the middle of the room…

Stood…

Sayoko Uehara, alive and well.

* * *

**Ate animal crackers today.**

**Guess what I found?**

**A penguin animal cracker.**


	40. The Onmyoji

**Arc 3.**

**It's finally finished.**

**Almost three quarters of the way through with Vindicated! Twenty more chapters to go!**

**

* * *

**

Vindicated

Chapter 40: The Onmyoji

_It's a small world, after all..._

_

* * *

_

"Kujikawa!"

A slap, light, hard, effective. Straight across Rise's face. Naoto frowned, looking behind her at the rest of the Investigation Team, who watched Rise as if the knocked out teenage pop idol would hand them the answers they so desperately craved. Long-lashed brown eyes flickered open like dying candlelight, and Rise gasped, sitting upright, accidentally bumping heads with Naoto, who swore quietly and backed away.

Rise whipped her head around, looking for something, or rather, a certain black-haired some_one._

"Rise." Souji brought her to her senses, and those big brown eyes locked onto him, uncovered by Kanzeon's silver visor. She made no attempt to recall her Persona.

"W-What happened, I mean, where's Adachi-sa-?"

"He knocked you out," Yosuke explained, clutching his kunai very, _very _tightly. "That bastard."

"Yosuke!" Chie addresses the 'Junes kid' sharply, hands on her waist, glasses sliding down to meet the tip of her nose so she looks more like a librarian than Souji (And Yosuke) would care to admit. (In fear of the beauty that rests between their legs being destroyed by the soles of Chie Satonaka's shoes.) Yosuke glares at her, a sharp glare, one that he's never dared give _Chie _before and Souji wonders if Yosuke was just faking the fact that he was warming up to Adachi. Yosuke mumbled something highly offensive under his breath and Chie clenched her jaw tightly, glaring at him pointedly.

Rise looks slightly flabbergasted, however, lips parting in a slight reaction of shock, marred only with the hints and smells of betrayal.

"He went after… Izanami." Her expression hardens for a split-second, frozen like icy shards. Something so incredibly _cold._

"Damn it." Souji swears, and it's too… frightened to sound like Souji. Souji is supposed to be the fearless one, the one who was supposed to remain calm at all times. He's not allowed to be fearful, worried. But he is now, because his frown is growing and he's wringing his wrist with his hand.

Naoto Shirogane is the one to take the reins from him, turning towards the double-doors which lead to the end of Sayoko's dungeon.

"Let us go," She said, voice forced down, she's serious, long-lashed eyes narrowed beneath the shadows of her Detective's cap. "We all know how strong Izanami is."

Rise nodded stiffly, confirming this. She'd been the one to tell them to be careful, after all. Izanami's power levels were off the charts, and if Adachi had gone in _alone…_

Well, no one wanted to think about that.

Souji joined Naoto, the rest of the group flanking the two. In a single, damning motion, Souji opened the double-doors…

And saw Tohru Adachi lying on the ground, in a pool of his own blood.

* * *

There… there was a long cut across his chest, turning his white dress shirt crimson, blossoming it into a mock rose. And, wasn't it ironic? Didn't they say that every rose had its thorns? He was crumpled on the ground, panting, gasping for air. The corners of Adachi's vision was fading, but he could just barely make out eight figures in the fog…

Ah, Souji-kun.

Adachi's half-mast stare landed on the broken glasses beside him. How many times had that symbol of truth been shattered? Twice now, he believed. Twice, his glasses had broken. Twice, he'd been nearly turned into a basket-case.

Wait… no… he was going to die here. He knew it.

His arms twitched, fingers going to the deep wound that had slit his dress shirt in half. It stung, it hurt… it hurt so, _so bad. _And for some reason, Adachi felt he deserved it. He had… he had wrongly accused Izanami of being a murderer, and a betrayer. He… everything was his fault.

Souji froze, lips parting. The rest of the group was there, too. There to save a man who…

Who was dying.

Who would be dead.

Yukiko rushed forward, jet-black hair flying out behind her like a night with no stars, stretching, stretching, stretching… She was kneeling before him now, fingers tracing his wound.

"A…" He tried to speak. His voice hitched. "Amagi-san, that… hurts. Ow." He shot her a weak grin, and she looked so pale, so pale.

Like Izanami.

That twinge of regret resounded in Adachi's heart like several church bells in the morning. He grimaced, as the rest of the group stood behind Yukiko, watching Adachi fearfully. Worriedly.

"Yukiko," Souji's breath hitched as well. "Can you…?"

She seemed to know what he was talking about. Adachi did not. Dying seemed to affect your thinking, and Adachi knew he was dying, even if he didn't want to admit it. It was just like his Shadow. He hadn't wanted to admit that, either, but he did, hadn't he? He could admit this too.

Couldn't he?

"I… I'll try." And with that, Yukiko pulled out a familiarly silver-grooved card, crushing it gently between her fingers. Behind her, Amaterasu appeared in a blinding, yet gentle silver light. Adachi closed his eyes, feeling his heartbeat slow.

Adachi moved no more.

* * *

Death was pleasantly warm, Adachi supposed. He had expected it to be cold, freezing like the arctic lands and yet… Death seemed to be cozy. It was then that he realized he was lying in a sea of darkness, that seemed to stretch on, as far as the eye could see.

Izanami held out a single, pale, beautiful hand out to him, and Adachi took it, looking up at her.

"I'm…" He looked away, ashamed. Ashamed for not believing her when she was right. "I'm sorry."

"No you are not." She answered, eyes glowing in the abyss. She tugged on his hand, urging him upwards and he obliged, looming above her. He was a few inches above her in height, and it gave him a small, reassuring advantage over the goddess of death.

"Do you remember what our contract was?" Izanami asked him, holding both of his hands in her own. There was a small vibration there, a warmth that didn't seem to fit Izanami, at all. "I told you that you would find your vindication."

He looked down, observing the laced cloth on her neck, a pure, pale, innocent white. Izanami leaned forward, and pressed her lips to his ear,

"That is a contract which you have not fulfilled, Tohru-kun."

There was a blinding light, as pure and demure as Izanami's white robes.

* * *

Someone was crying.

For him?

No. Couldn't be.

But yet, there it was, those hitching sobs in the air. Uncontrolled, unabashed by the fact that their tears were ruining the front of his jacket. Dripping onto him like beautiful raindrops, glistening like liquid diamonds. It was Souji who was crying, Adachi recognized the cool voice.

_

* * *

Souji._

"Souji-kun, would you please get off of me?" He snarled, harshly. "It's… uncomfortable, kid."

"Adachi-san!" He sounded a little too over-joyed. And he was tugging Adachi upwards. To his feet.

It was then that Adachi realized something was off.

"Uehara." The group was surrounding them. Flabbergasted at Adachi's supposed resurrection. "Where is Uehara!"

The whole group looked dumbfounded. Until the sound of clacking high heels resounded against the labyrinth's floor, and Adachi turned to face their current greatest threat. There, garbed in her usual nurse's outfit, hair down so she looked more like a mental patient than a nurse, a shit-eating grin spread across her face, stood Sayoko Uehara.

"Oh? You're still alive?" Her black-eyed gaze reached Adachi, taking him in once more. "Now, that's not how you play the game, _sweet thing." _

"Sayoko…" Souji stepped ahead of Adachi, sword brushing against labyrinth's pale floors sharply, like a metal chair being scooted back.

"It wasn't Izanami." Adachi explained, and everyone's gaze turned back to him. Sayoko was looking down at him, haughtily. "We were played for fools by Uehara and her master. Like a goddamned violin."

"Master?" Yosuke inquired. He was clenching those kunai very tightly.

Sayoko took a step forward, and the group took a step back. They were wary of the former nurse, and had no idea how Adachi ended up with such a deep cut across his chest. (Speaking of which, Adachi noticed, looking down at the shirt. That was a lot of Yen down the drain…) Perhaps she had some sort of hidden knife? Adachi himself wasn't sure. He'd just gone in there, and the next second, he was lying in a pool of his own blood, almost literally taking a bath in it.

"It is my duty as an Onmyoji to serve my master. And his wish, is my command." She giggled, a high, haughty giggle that sent shivers down everyone's backs. This was not the Sayoko Uehara that Souji had grown to know.

"What are Onmyoji?" Asked Chie, face twisting in confusion.

Naoto answered for her, "They are a sect of mystics, believed to have gone extinct years ago. It appears however," Her gaze sharpened on Sayoko. Naoto's glare was a withering one. "That they are still active."

Sayoko took another step forward, the group took another step back.

"Yes, sweet thing," She was directing this towards Naoto. And Naoto bristled. "It was my master who had called Souji-kun's Shadow from the depths. My master who had given Kataki Adachi the power to travel through mirrors. My master, who had shown me the answers I searched for in Africa."

Her gaze turned to Souji, and she wiped disheveled black hair behind an ear,

"Do you remember Souji? I said I had found what I was looking for in Africa. I never told you what, though. I like playing games." She said this, in a sultry sort of way that made Adachi want to hurl.

"Who is your master?" Souji asked, direct and to the point. He stood tall, proudly in the antechamber of the labyrinth, sword sharp and glinting at his side. If Adachi didn't know any better, he'd have said that Souji looked like a real Prince.

"Now, what's that saying?" Sayoko giggled again. Her fingers splayed against her bare mouth."Never kiss and tell?"

"I believe you just did." Said Souji, calmly. Insinuating something Adachi was sure none of them had wanted to hear. Out of the corner of his eye, Adachi saw Rise shiver, and maybe even go a little green.

Sayoko fake yawned, linked her fingers behind her and stretched.

"Bor-ring," She murmured. "You can't keep my interest, sweet thing. I have to kill you, and it won't be any fun if you just stand there."

Another step forward, another step back,

"So let's play, shall we?"

Adachi retrieved his fun from its holster. Souji lifted his sword, the others followed suit with their weapons.

Then the ground exploded and all of them were thrust backward into a heap of arms and legs.

"The hell!" Cried Kanji eloquently as he took his head out of Yosuke's armpit. He groped for his steel plate and instead found Souji's butt, throwing his hand backwards as if he'd touched a hot stove. Rise, taking her head out of Adachi's ass, coughed a reply,

"G-Guys, she's… she's gained some sort of power!"

Naoto was the one to give them a detailed explanation, as always,

"I should've known. Mystics are like magicians. They have the capacity to perform spells."

"Well," Snarled Adachi, lifting himself up from the heap of arms and legs. He retrieved his gun from the floor, watching the smirking Sayoko Uehara with an angered gleam in his black eyes. "That's just dandy."

The rest of the group also heaved themselves up off the floor, facing the already smug Onmyoji as she stared, banally at them, mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Guys, are you ready?" Prompted Rise, Kanzeon looming over her in a wave of silver. "She's really strong!"

"Agidyne!" Started Yukiko, crushing the grooved card. Amaterasu, like a gilded sun, rose behind her, waving her winged arms. Flickers of flames rushed towards Sayoko…

Only to flicker off of her, as if the flames were as harmless as water.

"W-What?" Yukiko held her fan tightly.

Yosuke jumped forward, like a cyclone, cutting and stabbing at Sayoko. Every hit, every slash he attempted did not hit her, however, and he was sent flying backwards by a burst of wind. Yosuke was flung in the air, and sent skidding across the pale brown stones like a tossed coin, forgotten.

"Bear-sona!" Cried Teddie; Kamui appeared behind him. "Diarahan!"

The wave of healing hung over Yosuke as the brown-haired boy lifted himself up off the ground, wiping at his newly split lip. Kamui disappeared in a burst of silver, as Kanji summoned Rokuten Maoh to hit Sayoko with a Ziodyne. As expected, the gleam of lightning also missed Sayoko.

"She's… she's completely dodging our attacks!" Souji yelled, attempting to slice half-way through Sayoko. She grinned at him, the sword hitting some sort of invisible shield. He jerked back, his body shaken from the invisible impact.

The bullet from Adachi's pistol ricocheted off of the shield, putting a hole in one of the labyrinth's many walls.

"Ooh," She was laughing at them. Taunting them. "Tough luck. Now it's my turn!"

She murmured something archaic under her breath and Adachi was completely surprised when he _recognized _the words.

_Izanami stood there, cradling Ouji's body in her arms. She was stroking Ouji's jaw-bone, whispering something __**archaic **__**and**__** song-like**__ under her breath. Adachi felt Kataki's fingers curl around his ankle, and a shrill scream erupted from somewhere distant. The fog became thicker, clouding the area where he, Izanami, Kataki and Ouji all stood._

_"The Devil," Kataki's tone took on a more… mystic sound. "In the upright position."_

_"The Devil. The Devil, have you met the Devil?"_

"Everyone!" He was suddenly afraid now. Afraid for them. "Guard! Just do it!"

And everything went black.

* * *

He was back, back in that sea of darkness and uncertainty. That sea that stretched onwards forever in all directions. Adachi was huddled into the fetal position, fingers curling in his black hair, and he noticed that he was crying.

Izanami kissed his tears, taking each one in with her pale, smooth lips.

"Very good, Tohru-kun." And she pressed her lips to his own before fading.

Everything went white.

* * *

~Vindicated~

The first thing Souji noticed were the white robes. They seemed longer, now, than they ever were before, but Souji supposed that it was because he was lying on the ground in a pained position. Sayoko was dangling in the air, screaming a noiseless scream, and Izanami moved her hands meticulously. She was breaking Sayoko's arm, twisting it into an unimaginable shape.

"Iza…nami." Souji croaked out, laying his head on his crumpled arm. "Thank… thank you."

"I know who her master is." She replied, the rest of the Investigation Team was looking up to her. "I need to get a hold of this woman however before she-"

It was too late.

Sayoko's body had imploded, scattering blood everywhere.

Souji's lips parted in absolute shock.

"Before her master does _that."_

* * *

**Short chapter. And I am very unhappy with how this turned out.**


	41. Embodiment Of Evil

**Let us all forget about the previous chapter. I will get around to rewriting it. Later.**

**For now, I must get at **_**least **_**a few hours of sleep.**

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Vindicated

Chapter 41: Embodiment Of Evil

_We'll catch him nowhere!_

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* * *

_

It had only been when all of them were safe in the lobby of the Television World, that anyone had said anything about the wicked, tyrannous events that had occurred in Sayoko's labyrinth.

"You saved us." Had been Souji's simple, dark statement issued towards the silent, pale figure of Izanami. The silverette was staring at her in an odd sort of way, as if seeing the goddess of Death for the first time, in a whole new, hopefully purer light. The Investigation Team, and Adachi, stared at Souji, also, in an odd sort of way, wondering if this was the first thing that had come to his mind after watching Sayoko implode.

Izanami's face was placid, devoid of any sort of emotion as she stared into the scarlet stacked televisions, watching into their blank screens. The Investigation Team bore holes into her back with their curious gazes, and Adachi admired the way her pale, blade-like figure endeared him even in this dangerous place.

"Indeed I did, Child of Man." Was her simple, dark answer. She wanted, needed, to get out of this place and tell them of the truths she had discovered. Her game of not helping them was costing lives, thus it had to end. Now. Forever. Her past affections were getting in the way, and she helped them, was helping them, for a true, and simple reason.

She had had enough.

"Why?" Adachi stepped forward, and the Investigation Team's curious gazes were ripped from Izanami's back to settle on the dark-haired detective. Subconsciously, they wondered if Izanami's lover, of all people, would be able to get the goddess to talk. Izanami turned to face Adachi, ruby eyes devoid of nothing except the crimson abyss of which they just _were._

"Why not?" She asked, as cryptic as the labyrinth's maze. Adachi's black eyes narrowed into hardened, icy slits. He did not want to play mind games with her, and he decided to phrase this, as ineloquently as was possible,

"_Shit, Izanami, _You know what I mean," He snarled, and the rest of the Investigation Team actually flinched, as if seeing that angrier side of Adachi had actually burned them. "Why did you help us when you knew, full well, that we thought you were the culprit? Why?"

Adachi's hands curled into tight fists, and the Investigation Team exchanged fevered glances, wanting to know the answer just as much as Adachi did. They were all silent, the fresh mark of death burning inside of them. This was what had happened when Kataki died, as well, they had neither wished to think of it, or talk about it. The marks, wounds, were fresh.

Izanami lifted her head up, just a bit, as if looking down upon Adachi like an exterminator does to an insect. Her reply, was once more cryptic,

"You never believed I was the culprit. You, Tohru-kun, saw only what you wished to see. An easy end to this."

"I never _wanted _to believe," He corrected her, but she simply shook her head, placid. She didn't believe him, and he didn't believe himself, frankly enough. "I just wanted to _know."_

"That is a lie." Whispered Izanami. And it was true. Truer than anything Adachi could've said, then. Because wasn't it true that he wanted to wrap himself in the bliss known as lies? Such bliss was fleeting, of course Adachi knew that, but now, _now he needed to think things through._

"Shut up." Souji stepped forward, in front of Adachi, and the shock was evident on everyone's face, save Izanami's. "Answer the question." His gray eyes locked with Izanami's crimson, and the world, the rest of it, seemed to simply melt away until it was just Souji Seta and Izanami.

"I helped you mortals for same reason I helped to destroy you." She looked at Souji with such iciness. "Mankind's desires," She repeated that same, damned phrase, as if it were a personal prayer, a creed. "Are my desires. What you wish, is what I wish."

"Bullshit." Kanji snarled, a snarl that made everyone except the person it was directed towards cringe just a little inside. The blond stepped forward, swaggered, and stared at Izanami angrily. "We never wanted any of that shit!"

Izanami did not even spare the delinquent a single glance; her gaze was on Adachi, and Adachi alone. And Adachi stared back with as much intensity, the flare of anger, of hatred against the goddess quelling deep within him. It was then, that the reality of what she had said, only minutes ago, had truly sunk in.

"Who is Sayoko's master?" He asked, words so incredibly blunt and straightforward. Souji craned his neck to look over his shoulder at Adachi, eyes glazing over in slight remembrance. As if what Izanami had said, hadn't been nearly as important as discovering who was behind Souji's Shadow's awakening, Kataki Adachi's dangled freedom, Sayoko's betrayal.

"Ask yourself whom the Onmyoji worship, and you will find your answer." Izanami told him, them, eyes gleaming in slight amusement. This wasn't amusing at all.

Naoto's eyes widened in recognition, and her lips moved so incredibly quickly beneath the shadows of her cap.

"The Amatsu-Mikaboshi."

"Who's that? A wrassler?" Asked Teddie, blandly. Everyone ignored the bear, paling a little.

"The Onmyoji, or Onmyodo of Japan were an esoteric group that studied occultism and science. They were, or rather are, the modern-day sorcerers. There was a small sect of this already small sect that tried to get the Onmyoji to worship the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The last known worshipper was Queen Himiko of China, who stopped her practices in order to smoothen negotiations with Wei in China. The idea was, that if you let the Amatsu-Mikaboshi control the darkest side of you, you could control yourself better."

It was Rise, of all people, who came to the conclusion. "You mean… your _Shadow!"_

Naoto nodded, and continued, voice tired and yet… afraid, "I'm afraid that is the truth. The Amatsu-Mikaboshi is the creator of Shadows, the creator of humanity's darkest sides. He is the truest embodiment of evil, and he wishes to destroy humanity, and all of its works. This was, of course, considered all a myth until approximately seven minutes ago."

Izanami spoke then, interjecting, and everyone turned their heads to their pseudo-ally, "Amatsu-Mikaboshi bears no human form. I can bend my true form to my will, however I am only able to stay in this human form. Amatsu-Mikaboshi can bend his appearance to anything, and anyone."

She smiled, a smile of complete and total weariness, "He could be anyone in this room, or perhaps anyone in Inaba who can monitor your movements with ease."

Yosuke's eyes narrowed, his scowl deepened.

"Anything else we should know?" Asked Adachi, body heavy with the information Naoto and Izanami had just laid out for them. Izanami's crimson gaze turned to the dark-haired man, and the goddess placed a hand on the stacked televisions, trailing her long fingers down the sides.

"The Amatsu-Mikaboshi has the power to destroy memories."

And then Adachi froze. His blocked memories… had been black-listed by the Amatsu-Mikaboshi? He suddenly felt nauseous, clutching his stomach quietly, feeling the urge, the _need _to throw-up. He was, had been, a pawn. Hadn't he?

"That explains Adachi-san's memory loss…" Added Chie, looking down, hands raised to her lips. Yukiko reached out, touching Chie's shoulder, reassuring her pseudo-prince. Souji glanced at Adachi, smiling slightly at the young detective.

"Wait… but then, who _is _the Amatsu-Mikaboshi?" Asked Yosuke, clutching his double kunai in his hands, scowl deeper than the Atlantic Ocean.

"I am unaware as to who he is in this world." Izanami replied, voice like a whisper in the Other World. "My… powers have weakened due to my stay here. I can no longer sense his presence."

"Well isn't that just _dandy." _Adachi murmured, voice sarcastic and yet… not commanding. He felt so very nauseous, at knowing his amnesia was caused by a pretentious god.

"Why did you help him?" It was Yosuke, who had asked Izanami this. The brunette stepped forward, throwing his kunai to the ground in a fit. "That didn't do _anything at all!"_

"Would you, Child of Man," Started Izanami, crossing her arms over her chest. "Raise a hand to your own blood?"

* * *

"The puppet's wish…" The Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the tall man, smiled in the darkness. He turned the White Queen over and over in his palm, rolling it over the pale skin. Izanami hadn't abandoned them, like he had predicted.

"It is time."

* * *

Everyone had frozen, staring wide-eyed at the goddess, letting her words sink in, deeper and deeper, until the meaning was etched into their minds. Blood, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi was Izanami's _brethren._

"Blood?" Naoto repeated, eyes narrowing. "I see. My suspicions were correct, then."

Izanami nodded at the Detective Prince, held her head a little higher, and announced,

"Indeed. The Amatsu-Mikaboshi is my son. Emma-O is the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi is Emma-O."

Adachi felt even more nauseous. The son had used his own mother to protect himself? He knew Izanami wouldn't say anything against him, so Amatsu-Mikaboshi had _used her. _But why? For what purpose could he possibly need Izanami's protection?

Unless…

"He used you, didn't he?" Adachi glared at the goddess, black eyes gleaming with something almost akin to regret. "Used you to make us think it was all over in the end. But then, Souji's Shadow screwed up and killed Ebihara. And I was set free."

Izanami grinned at him, with a smile that reminded everyone of an enigma. Her eyes gleamed, and she happily replied,

"You truly do live up to your potential, Tohru-kun. It was part of the reason why I chose you."

Adachi scowled, eyes closing, "I'm right, aren't I? You were protecting him."

Naoto stepped forward, staring at Izanami with a glare that rivaled the coldness of the arctic lands, and proclaimed, voice deep and forced,

"For now, we should focus on discovering the Amatsu-Mikaboshi's chosen identity. We can discuss all of this later. Perhaps," Naoto turned to Yukiko, and smiled, slightly. "Over Hot Springs?"

Yukiko looked shocked, and Souji wondered what the Detective Prince was up to. "O-Oh, I think I can arrange that…"

"Yeah, we still haven't gotten you guys back for last time." Added Yosuke, his anger slightly quelled.

* * *

"I don't trust you." Adachi said.

Izanami pressed her back against Adachi's front door. Souji had gone home, to persuade Dojima into letting him back into the house, and was covered for the night. Yosuke had invited him for a sleep-over. And, since they were alone, Adachi felt the need to let her know just where the two were when it came to terms.

"I didn't expect you to." Izanami replied, quietly, Adachi watched her, as she sunk into the front door of his apartment, pale white robes pooling around her, sharply contrasted by the darkness of the door. For some reason, Adachi found her to be nauseating to look at, after discovering the truth about her, and the Amatsu-Mikaboshi.

"Why didn't you tell me?" That had been on his mind on the silent walk back home, where the two had built up a cold, dark wall of tension in an attempt to keep the other away. "I trusted you."

"Trusted?" She asked, glaring at him sharply. "Or trust? You still believe in me. You still love me."

"Loved." Adachi corrected her, his voice dark with something akin to anger, and betrayal. "I'm not sure what I feel now, and all of it's just a wash, anyway. I can't trust you, and I can't love you. Not after that, not after knowing you protected the person that blacklisted my memories."

"I had to." She answered, eyes going to half-mast. She looked… pained, in some way that seemed incorporeal, unreal. Adachi actually felt bad, for a second, but that flare of anger, of fire, inside of him grew, and he took a commanding step forward, pinning Izanami to the door, blocking her ways of escape with thin, angered arms.

His face was inches from her own, and he hissed, feeling wronged in some way,

"You _had _to? _You had to! _That's a pack of lies, and you know it! You didn't _have _to do anything! You didn't _have _to protect your son! You didn't _have to!" _He felt bitter, vicious tears brimming in his eyes, and for once, he let himself cry, head hanging forward. He glared at Izanami through his bangs, dark eyes watery with regret and rage. She looked regretful as well, in some way that shot a bullet through Adachi's heart.

"I hate you." Adachi choked out, voice hitching slightly as he cried. Everything, everything he had bottled up, was finally bursting. "I _should _hate you, but I can't. But I _want to." _

"I want to hate you too." Said Izanami, and she was crying as well, tears dripping down her pale cheeks. "But I can't. You are… you are so much like Izanagi and I… I should hate you for it."

Adachi stared at her, and Izanami stared back.

"I'm nothing like him." Adachi hissed through clenched teeth, his hands went from the door, to the lacing on Izanami's neck. He was undoing it, slipping the cloth through his fingers meticulously. "That's an excuse."

"I'm sorry." Izanami whispered, and her fingers trailed across Adachi's cheekbones, grasping for his jaw line. She leaned forward, and bit Adachi's neck. "But I must go."

Adachi stopped attempting to undo her robes, and stared at her, crimson meeting black.

"What?" His hands clenched around her shoulders; vice-like. "You can't go! We need you!"

"_You_ need me. You have all of the information you need," She looked up at him, and pressed a kiss to his lips, and closed her eyes. "There is no need for me, anymore."

And just like that, like mist through his fingers, Izanami was gone.

Adachi fell to his knees, and yelled, banging the floor with his fists.

* * *

"My wish?"

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi glared at the puppet beneath the shadows of his brown fedora. The puppet looked oddly frightened of him now, as if he'd learned something he hadn't quite wanted to learn.

"Yes, what is your wish?"

The puppet looked down, and told the Amatsu-Mikaboshi his wish, once again.

"I see."

"_Perfect."_

* * *

**For those who are worried, Izanami isn't quite done in this story. So yes, she will come back, if you guys mind waiting a chapter or two. (Felt the need to tell you guys this, in case I lose anyone thanks to my torture of Adachi.)**

**Dun-Dun! The revelation of who the puppet is shall commence, soon enough!**


	42. Notions Of The Past

**I have entered the realm of nostalgia.**

**It's been nearly a year since I started this fanfiction, and I was **_**not **_**prepared for the amount of reviews and support it would get. I would like to thank everyone for their loyalty in reading this, even as it begins to close up. I really appreciate it. :-D**

**I was aiming towards 60 Chapters, but it may drop down to 55, I'm **_**this close **_**to wrapping things up.**

**By the way, there **_**is **_**a moral dilemma with the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. I'd rather slowly reveal it then just go 'Blah blah and that is why he hates everyone blah blah'. Give me a few chapters! If it makes anyone feel any better, we're having a flashback with Izanami and the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. Just wanted to address this and nip it in the bud since quite a few people commented on it. :-( I'm working on it, guys.  
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Vindicated

Chapter 42: Notions Of The Past

_The truth beneath the rose…_

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_May 15__th__ 2012_

The sound of his cell phone ringing woke Souji up, blinking blearily inside of his familiar bed at the Dojima's house, wrapped inside the warmth of the gray blankets. He blindly groped for the ringing annoyance, wondering what time it was. And who, possibly, could have been calling at such an early time. There was a whisper of the sunrise in the lone window, painting the once teal sky into a beautiful canvas of pink and red.

Tired as he was, Souji had no time to sit down, drink a cup of instant coffee and enjoy the sunset. He slapped a pale hand over the cell phone, and pulled it down to his face to see who was calling him.

"_Adachi…san?" _

Flipping open the silver phone, Souji answered, clearing his throat out and sitting upwards in his futon,

"Er… hello? Adachi-san?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and though Adachi probably wouldn't have admitted it, Souji knew he'd been crying. _"For what, I wonder?"_

"Izanami is…" A hitch, a sharper intake of breath, as if Adachi couldn't, or didn't want to say the following words. "Izanami is… is…"

"Yes?" Growled Souji. Was _this _what Adachi was calling him for? This annoyance? "What?"

"Gone. She's gone, Souji."

Souji very nearly dropped his phone. Izanami was gone? But they'd cleared everything up, hadn't they? They had made sure that Izanami knew that they didn't believe her to be the culprit anymore. They'd made absolutely sure, that she knew they knew it was the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, who was behind everything. So why? Why would she have left?

Souji gathered up his thoughts, emotions about the subject and placed them in a mental cardboard box. He didn't need to push Adachi over the deep end, Souji knew full well how prone the man was to lashing out. Adachi was easy to ruffle, easy to anger, easy to impulsive decisions such as nearly breaking Souji's jaw. Clenching the sides of the cell phone, Souji rubbed nostalgically at the bruise left on his jaw. It had seemed so long ago, that fight.

He sighed, and then asked, testing the waters of Adachi's mindset and state,

"Gone? What do you mean gone, Adachi-san?"

"She left." Adachi took in a deep breath, gathering himself, trying to make sure Souji didn't use anything against him. Emotions, especially emotions of desire, lust and dare he say it, _love, _were fickle things. Things Adachi was positive Souji could use against him. "She… She's decided we don't need her help anymore."

"Did you go looking for her?" Asked Souji, switching the phone to the other ear, pinning it with his shoulder so he could get up. Quite honestly, the silverette was tired of playing therapist, especially for this mess of a man. Souji tripped over his feet, swearing loudly and catching himself with the corner of the coffee table. He hadn't exactly woken up yet, but Souji decided a quick shower would get him there.

"Yeah, I did." Adachi sounded vaguely better now, as if… resigning to the fact that his… _whatever (Souji couldn't put a name on that relationship, not in a million years.) _was gone. Gone, forever, Souji hoped. He would never get over the fact that Izanami had, technically defended her son, despite the great evils the Amatsu-Mikaboshi had caused. She'd lied. To both Adachi and him. So the thing Souji had wanted to say, or really _needed _to say, was good riddance.

It didn't matter that the goddess had been helping them. She was, and always would be to Souji, a liar. And what Souji hated, above all things, was liars, and the lies they spun.

"And I couldn't find her." There was a hitch in Adachi's voice, and the young detective sounded as if he were biting his bottom lip, but Souji didn't feel the need to call him out on it. The man's ego was wrecked far enough.

"I see. Adachi, you need to let go. She's right, we no longer need her. We can look for her, after we find out who the Amatsu-Mikaboshi is. But for now," Souji sighed, and rubbed at his drooping eyes. Mid-terms were coming up, _and he was not prepared. _Studying took a lot out of the body. "Forget about Izanami."

"_Maybe you can come over to dinner; Nanako's been wanting to hear a few stupid jokes." _He would've liked to have said, but Dojima was going to at the precinct all night. And when Dojima was out, there was a high chance Adachi would be there as well. And the certain intensity between the two still lingered there, unwilling to dissipate. They no longer liked each other which made sense; Dojima had been the one to put Adachi behind bars, all those months ago. And to Souji; Adachi seemed like the type to hold grudges, no matter how petty or spiteful they may have been.

"Yeah…" Adachi sighed, a rough, static-y sort of sound on Souji's end. "Are we still going to the Hot Springs later today?"

Oh, Souji had almost forgotten about that. Rise had been the one to assist they all needed a break, and Yukiko had gotten her parents to agree. Yosuke had still been pissed that the boys hadn't gone in the Hot Springs last time. And Adachi didn't know what to do.

"Yes, we are." Souji let a small amount of his smile leak into his voice, hoping, actually, that it would infect Adachi with a little happiness. God knows the man needed some in his life. "Just forget about it, okay?"

Adachi was the one to hang up on him.

Desperately wanting a shower, Souji tossed the phone onto the sofa and pulled out his clothes, wondering whether or not to pop his collar.

* * *

Adachi glared at the closed phone, sitting languidly on the midnight-blue couch in his apartment. He'd stopped crying, _(You pussy, get over it. Get a goddamn cat or something.) _hours ago when Izanami had left him, yet again, in favor of some stupid notion. Like returning to the netherworld, to the place from whence she came. And it pained him.

It hurt him to know that she was just like everyone else. They always, _always _left, at some point in time.

He propped his head on the armrest of the couch, glaring at the seemingly empty television in front of him and wondered, not for the first time, if he should just throw himself in there, and end this awful nightmare he'd come to know as his life.

But he needed the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

* * *

"Your wish has been granted." Whispered the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, trailing a hand down the fragile skin of his puppet. The puppet shuddered, bowing at his feet, afraid to show his fear to the Japanese god of Darkness.

"Where…?" Started the puppet, but with a quick pat on the cheek, the tall man, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi silenced him.

"She's waiting for you. Stay patient, and she will come." His words were a cryptic mess to the puppet, who swallowed and pressed a kiss to the tipped soles of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi's shiny black shoes.

* * *

_Yomi, the land where all souls go when they die, was most certainly not a heaven. It was a gloomy place, filled with the rich somber cries of the dead calling for their loved ones, the thickest of fogs which never lifted, and bugs that crawled everywhere, over sleeping bodies and unspeakable guardians. The gates of Yomi, once blocked with a boulder set there by the god Izanagi, the male who invites, were a crimson color, and hung over the stepping stones that lead to the morose land._

_Izanami stood there, unable to leave, and unable to speak to the ones she had killed in revenge for her husband's misdeeds, looking out at the land beyond, the fog lifting ever so slightly away from Yomi. This place, this place of lies and horror, was her new home. She could never return because of Kagutsuchi, who's body was not in Yomi, and because of Izanagi. So she spent her days, looking out from Yomi, wishing, wondering, hoping._

_There was no hope in this place._

"_Mother." _

_Izanami glared behind her, ruby eyes cast upon the tall figure walking towards her. Amatsu-Mikaboshi had no physical form, no body to call his own unlike Izanami. But long ago, he'd used the physical form of what Kagutsuchi could have been, explaining to his estranged mother that 'Kagutsuchi didn't need it where he was going', and Izanami had always been disgusted by her horrid son who kept her here against her will, despite removing the boulder. Her eyes narrowed, falling upon the neatly-combed black hair, and gray eyes and ground out her reply,_

"_Yes? What is it, child?"_

_The smirk he gave her was one of pure amusement. Izanami's affections for the god were maternal, and she had wanted to rejoice when Izanagi left him here, but the god grew into something darker and stronger than her, filled with rage against the people who gave him birth._

"_I have come to offer you a deal."_

_Izanami turned around fully to face him, eyes narrowed in a suspicious way. She didn't trust Amatsu-Mikaboshi, she never had, and she wondered if any deal he'd offer would be one she'd be willing to accept. She glared at him, a scowl forming on her pale face. One of the unspeakable guardians lumbered past them, twisting her deformed head around to look at Amatsu-Mikaboshi and Izanami before going back, satisfied that there was no one attempting to leave Yomi. Izanami shuddered at the guardian, wondering why the people had to come to this awful place when they died._

"_What is your deal, Mikaboshi?" She asked, coldly, and the Amatsu-Mikaboshi simply stared just as coldly back at her._

"_If you help me to bring the fog of Yomi to the human world, then I shall grant you freedom from this place, for eternity." He took a step forward, and Izanami simply glared at him. "Give those with the potential to enter this world, and defeat them when the time comes."_

_The unspeakable guardian, the Shadows, looked over at the two once more, yellow eyes gleaming in their sockets._

"_Let them be destroyed by the truth." The Amatsu-Mikaboshi continued. "The truth was meant to sting mortals, because they would all rather live in blissful lies. Do this, and you can be rid of Yomi, forever. This, mother, is what humanity wants. The destruction of the world, of that cruel, evil world, must happen in order to bring about its salvation."_

_His smile was a soft, cruel one indeed, "Don't you want to be free of Yomi? To help all of the sinners that I myself cannot save? This is mankind's wish, mother. They want to destroy the world. So we must help them, to show them."_

_Izanami was not sure what to say, or do. She didn't trust the Mikaboshi, but the idea, the very idea of leaving this place forever…_

"_Very well." She glared at the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. "What am I to do, Child?"_

* * *

There was no welcome party upon her return to Yomi.

Izanami walked through the darkly familiar fog, the heavy burden of defeat upon her shoulders.

She was sorry. Regretful.

And she had failed. It was out of duty, and an order given by the gods that she returned to this awful place.

* * *

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi let out a barking laugh, burying his head in his hands. It all came down to this. He hated humans. Saving sinners? Of course he didn't save them! There was no passing of judgment in Yomi! Humans, for existing, were rotten to the core. In his own opinion, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi had simply wanted the destruction of everything. He'd been stopped by Bishamon, and couldn't achieve his Judgment Day back then but now…

He'd used Izanami, his own mother, as a pawn for his own devices. Humanity needed to see the truth, and the truth was…

Their sins reeked. They all, every single one of them, deserved to die. Their moral compasses were gone. Their sins too great. Too heinous.

Sitting inside the garbage-ridden alley between Tatsumi Textiles and Konishi Liquors, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi laughed.

* * *

Yosuke shelved the cans of TaP, throwing the orange-designed can inside a little harder than was necessary. He did not, never did, like doing jobs inside of Junes. Shelving and doing inventory was too menial for someone like him. And the way he shelved the cans of TaP showed just how incredibly bored and irritated he was.

This, this stupid part-time job he was _forced _into, was a complete and total waste of time. Yosuke had better things to do, like jumping inside the television to train for the big day when they took out yet another god. Not shelving rusty-tasting cans that _no one ever bought._

But, Yosuke supposed, he really needed the money for that motorcycle he'd been eyeing in Okina City. Last year, Chie had completely crushed his dreams by buying clothes for Teddie, but Yosuke had been working towards that goal yet again. Slowly, but painfully, he'd be able to buy his very own _Yamaha _at the end of the year. The blue one was nice. Used, cheap, and had a giant scratch on the side of it. The dealer had told him that it was imported back from the U.S when some girl drove into a ditch. * But, it apparently ran nice.

He'd be sure to take it out for a test-drive, before buying it.

"Hana-chan." Said a voice, demure yet so incredibly sharp and cold.

The can Yosuke had been holding in his hand fell to the floor.

* * *

**Ahem, the story about the Yamaha is a true one. I now own a car, and have gained an irreversible fear of driving motorcycles of any kind. (Lol?) I sold my Yamaha, and took my mom's old car.**

**No more motorcycles for me.**


	43. Of Ghosts And Revelations

**Lots of people guessed correctly about just who showed up last chapter!**

**Also, unfortunate announcement, the number of chapters has been pushed back to 50. I've decided that things need to wrap up soon, and I have a detailed chapter plan set out for the rest of this. Boy, are you guys in for some twists.**

**By the way, I had a real issue with lol'ing while I made this chapter. I just put subtle hints in here. Lots of which are serious inside jokes with my group of friends.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 43: Of Ghosts And Revelations

_Take one step forward…_

_Two steps back._

_

* * *

_

The can of TaP Yosuke had been holding fell to the floor and rolled to the delicate feet of the ghostly visage who'd said that unfortunate nickname. With unbridled grace, Saki Konishi, the second victim of the murder case that plagued Inaba, reached down and roughly grabbed the can off the floor. She stood up straight, and stared Yosuke in the eyes, smiling that smile which had been proven to have been fake all along.

"Hana-chan, this can is dented." She frowned at him, and Yosuke began to hyper-ventilate. She couldn't be alive! She couldn't!

Unless…

Yosuke couldn't finish that thought, because he had effectively passed out. Hitting the floor of the Beverages Department with a resounding, unyielding thud. Leaving Saki Konishi to stare at him in slight distaste, holding the now dented can of TaP that he had dropped with ghost-like fingers.

* * *

Souji had fallen asleep with _Tea Ceremony For Dummies _on his lap, head resting on the back of the couch in his room. When, and how he'd fallen asleep, Souji had not a clue. He did, however, know how he woke up. Because of his damn phone.

The silverette jolted awake, the seemingly heavy book falling from his lap and onto the pristine floor with a loud, unfortunate sound. Yawning loudly, and shaking his head to try and wake himself up, Souji reached for his phone which sat unattended to on the coffee table in front of him.

"_As always, it is Yosuke's fault." _He grumbled to himself, before flipping open the phone.

"What is it, Yosuke?"

He was completely surprised at how hysterical Yosuke sounded on the other end,

"_S-Souji, shit dude…" _Yosuke took a deep breath, which sounded more like he was taking several breaths in a row. His voice was frightened, high, and Souji could hear every single breath on the other end cackling in his ear. _"You have…" _Although Souji couldn't see it, Yosuke had shuddered. _"You… you… you have… have to come down to Junes right… right now! And bring… bring Kanji. And Naoto. Please!"_

"Wait…" Souji stuttered. He had never, ever heard Yosuke sound this afraid. "What? Why?"

"_I'll explain later! Just…" _Souji couldn't see him, but Yosuke had whipped his head frantically around. _"Just hurry up, alright? I… I'm really… just hurry up!"_

And the call ended just like that, with Souji staring angrily at the _Call Ended _on his cell phone's mini-screen.

Sighing, out of defeat and pure resignation, Souji proceeded to call everyone, even Adachi, to meet up at Junes. He stamped on the speed dial angrily, with more force than was necessary.

"_Senpai?" _Asked Naoto when she picked up, she sounded slightly busy, the cacophony of the Inaba precinct resounding in the background.

"_Yeah, Naoto…"_

* * *

They'd found Yosuke, huddling in the corner of the Junes store, trembling and shaking. His face was a pallor usually only reserved for copy paper, standing out in sharp contrast to his dark brown hair. For some reason, all the lights were out in Junes, and the annoying jingle that usually played was surprisingly absent.

Needless to say, it was very creepy.

Yosuke hadn't noticed them, reserved to the corner, shaking and trembling like a small child that had been very seriously screamed at. Souji, Naoto and Adachi all exchanged looks, the rest of the Investigation Team sitting behind them, shocked at Yosuke's sudden display of weakness. Chie was laughing in fact, stifling her mocking giggles with her palm, while Yukiko stood beside her, lips parted in bewilderment.

They had all snuck out of their houses with ease, and simply because of this pathetic display of Yosuke's cowardice?

Souji, with a small push from Rise, walked up to Yosuke, kneeling down so his chin was level with the top of Yosuke's head.

Souji reached out with pale fingers, lightly brushing against Yosuke's shoulder…

Only to be smacked promptly in the face by a very, very scared Yosuke. Souji fell, falling on his butt as Yosuke scrambled to stand up, backing up against the wall and breathing incredibly quickly. His apron, the one he was forced to wear when he worked part-time at Junes, flapped like a wild, beige banner, untied from Yosuke's body. Yosuke stared wildly at the group, drinking in the Investigation Team and the now cackling Chie, who couldn't bear to hold it in any longer.

His head whipped madly around, brown eyes wide and unseeing in their sockets and his hands ran around the walls behind him, looking for something to grasp. However, there was nothing on the wall behind him, so the attempt was futile and mad at its best.

"I…" He started, gasping for breath. His skin seemed to be growing only paler by the second. Souji glared up at him from his spot on the floor, wondering what the hell could have possibly gotten Yosuke so worked up. "Where is she!" Yosuke hissed the last sentence, hands going from the walls to hug his body as he continued to tremble, viciously.

"Who?" Souji asked, and the sound of Chie's laughter, her cackles, seemed to echo in the empty Junes. He clutched his now stinging cheek with one hand, wincing as a mark began to grow. Yosuke had hit him hard.

Yosuke's unseeing eyes went down to Souji, who now continued to glare at him. Adachi looked from Kanji, to Naoto, to Souji, and then to Yosuke, wondering if anyone was going to do anything.

"Sa… Sa…" Yosuke started, then took a deep, calming breath that didn't appear to do much. "Sa… Sa… Sa… Saki-sen…senpai." He was still trembling, looking down at the silverette who now shot him an angry, albeit curious look.

"Are you serious?" Souji got up off the dirty floor, brushing off the dirt particles on his pants with both hands while staring at Yosuke. He sounded dejected, as if he really couldn't believe Yosuke had dragged them all out to Junes for _this._

"She… she's a…" Yosuke took another deep breath, which beheld the same effects as the last; nothing. "Ghost!"

And it grew suddenly silent. An eerie sort of silence that… without a doubt, was slightly spooky within itself.

And Adachi echoed Souji,

"Are you… serious?"

It was then that Adachi was reminded, and he really didn't need reminding, that Saki was Saki Konishi, the second victim. And he wondered, vaguely, why she would come back to life _now, _of all times? It couldn't possibly be because he returned, could it? Or maybe, some god of the netherworld had had a hand in it…?

"The Amatsu-Mikaboshi." Naoto had said it before him, in the coolest and most professional manner possible. Everyone craned their head towards the Detective Prince, who now tipped her cap low over her eyes, the shadows turning her usually bright blue eyes into darker pools which were slightly unsettling.

"Wait, you sayin' he's playin' us?" Kanji asked, stuttering slightly, pale eyes growing wide. Yosuke's eyes flickered for just a second, curiously.

"He knows we will react…" Gasped Yukiko, placing a hand over her mouth. Chie had stopped laughing long ago, her face setting into something harder, angrier.

"So he's seeing what'll happen…" Murmured Adachi.

Souji walked over to Yosuke, placing a calming, soothing hand on his partner's shoulder, setting Yosuke into a fireman's lift, swinging the seemingly unseeing boy's arm around Souji's shoulders. Souji looked up, eyes wading over everyone.

"Let's just get out of here for now. Okay?"

They all just nodded, dumbly, following Yosuke and Souji as they made their way through the Vegetable Department, past the Toy Department, (Rise had to pry a red fire truck out of Teddie's hands before they could go one) and finally, they made it to the door.

Only to discover that their only way out of Junes was locked.

"We're trapped!" Rise proclaimed, pulling on the double door's handles, then pushing. Adachi and Souji let out an uncommitted groan, while the rest of them just sighed. This was just their luck, wasn't it? To be trapped in Junes.

Kanji looked over at Rise, and groaned, now echoing _both _Souji and Adachi,

"You serious?"

Souji shouldered Yosuke, shifting both his feet before sighing, telling the group what they had most certainly not wanted to hear,

"Looks like we're stuck here until morning."

"Don't we have school tomorrow, though?" Yukiko asked, tilting her head to the side and frowning.

* * *

"Ooh, Teddie look!" Rise had pounced ahead, with Teddie running after her, half in his bear costume and half out of it, nearly tripping over himself as he tried to keep up with her. Rise had stopped in front of a large machine, which was connected to a pagoda that bore Technicolor arrows that went in all four directions.

Souji had split them up into groups, or rather, they had split themselves up into groups to go and do whatever. Rise had dragged Teddie along with her, Souji and Adachi had headed into the Grocery Department to look for snacks and chat, Kanji was staying with Yosuke in a tent they had found, and Chie and Yukiko had seemingly disappeared.

Teddie and Rise had found themselves in the Gaming Department, and when Rise had caught sight of the most infamous game in all of gaming history, she had run off with Teddie following behind her. Teddie looked the machine up and down, eyes falling on the name as he pulled himself out of the bear suit.

"Dance Dance Revolution? What's that, Rise-chan?"

Rise grinned, a devilish sort of grin that made most men weak in their knees and tossed her red hair back. She reached for Teddie's pale hand and climbed onto the arrow-crested pagoda, literally dragging the blond Shadow on top with her.

"Okay, see these arrows." She pointed to the Technicolor arrows which pointed North, South, West and East. "When the arrows on the screen reach right around up here…" She let go of Teddie's hand and pointed to the top of the screen, all the way to the right which was Teddie's side. "You stomp on the arrows, like you're dancing."

To demonstrate, she stomped on the North arrow, then on the West and East arrows.

"And you're dancing to a song!" She grinned, proudly at this. "One of my songs are in here, so let's dance!"

Teddie grinned, unsure and uncertain but unwilling to say no, "Okay!"

Rise turned on the machine, and Teddie stood to the right, standing on the place where he was supposed to stand, or so the spot indicated while Rise stood on the left.

"_Are you ready?" _Said a booming voice from the machine, and Rise simply grinned. _"Pick a song!"_

Rise reached forward, pushing some buttons while the list on the large screen scrolled down. Finally, she came to a song called _Kibou no Kakera _and Rise, with unnecessary force, punched the button. The screen folded in on itself, revealing a beautiful meadow where a girl with green hair and amber eyes stared out at a castle.

Then, the arrows started, and they were so fast, that Teddie found himself jumping at the arrows.

"_**Let me tell you something."**_Teddie could recognize Rise's voice, and it was like the taste of ochre honey, sweet and unyielding.

Of course, he couldn't really think, because he was having such trouble with dancing. He reach for the East arrow, missed, and then tripped over his own two feet when he tried to get the South arrow. Rise, on the other hand, was doing the dance perfectly, which in itself was eerie.

"_**Don't laugh me off, listen to me."**_The green-haired girl on the screen turned around, honey-colored eyes glaring out at Rise and Teddie. She seemed to be singing the song, as he lips moved in perfect sync with the lyrics, hands held over her heart.

Rise grinned, and began singing along. Teddie had stopped dancing to marvel at her. Grinning his own foolish grin.

"_**It's a beautiful story of this world, about why the skies are blue, and the trees are green." **_

* * *

"Hey," Adachi, from his spot on the dirty floor beside Souji, leaning against the counter while the two nibbled on cabbage leaves, spoke up for the first time since they had begun sitting there. "You hear that?"

"_**Probably and maybe, the answer does not need." **_

Souji, who had jumped at suddenly hearing Adachi's voice, pricked his ears, nibbling on the end of a cabbage leaf. The cabbage in question had been placed on a rag between them, safe from the dirty ground that they were both sitting on.

"_**Difficult words, 'cause it's not something you can touch with your hands."**_

"I guess Rise found the Karaoke machine." Suggested Souji, shrugging as he swallowed his snack. He suddenly fixed a very sharp gaze on Adachi, who returned it, looking precarious as he ate.

"How are you?" Souji asked, watching Adachi with that same sharp gaze he had fixed on everyone he had helped before in the past. It was… unsettling, to say the least.

"_**I will keep on dreaming."**_Rise's voice, her singing voice, continued to filter throughout the store.

"I'm fine." Adachi lied, not needing to ask what Souji was asking about. Izanami. She had left him, like everyone does, and Adachi truthfully wasn't surprised. He was used to it by now. They all left. His mother, Ouji, Kataki… and now Izanami. He was, and he had a right to, hurt.

"_**Only dreams that cannot be fulfilled now, there are things that I want more easily than unfulfilled dreams."**_

"You're not okay." Souji told him, ripping off another leaf from the cabbage, nibbling on the end of it. Adachi repeated the action, long, pale fingers trembling as his eyes grew dark.

"If I wasn't okay, you don't have to pry into my business, Souji." Adachi replied, voice sober and morose, laced with the slightest hint of disdain. Adachi took a large bite into the cabbage, grimacing as the leaf crawled down his throat like poison.

"_**I want to cry but I cannot cry."**_

"I just worry," Said Souji, still looking sharply at Adachi, as if trying to pry open the clam Adachi had shut himself in. "It's my job as the leader to look out for everyone."

Adachi laughed, a barking, bitter sort of laugh that held absolutely no amusement,

"Don't worry about me, kid. I'm just fine."

"_**If I cry, I must wipe my tears."**_

* * *

"Rise-chan's dangerous." Whispered Chie. Her and Yukiko had found themselves a janitor's closet, vowing to spook any poor soul that just happened to walk by. (Hoping that it was Yosuke, on Chie's part.) And they had heard the song as well.

"'_**Cause a smile brings out the cutest in me." **_

Yukiko shifted, accidentally allowing a coat cuff to smack Chie in the face.

"The song is pretty, though." The raven-haired heiress had replied, to which Chie had just nodded. Chie then bit her bottom lip, shifting in the darkness of the janitor's closet.

"About Yosuke…" She murmured, voice slightly airy and echo-y.

"_**But let me tell you something…"**_

"He'll be okay." Yukiko said, cutting Chie off. She groped blindly for her friend's hand, squeezing it reassuredly. Yukiko smiled, shooting her friend a knowing look.

Chie smiled back.

"Okay."

"_**See, in this world there is nothing you cannot obtain."**_

* * *

Kanji was looking at Yosuke with pitiful eyes. His Senpai had relapsed into an air of quietness, no longer trembling, no longer stuttering, but he was staring at the floor of the tent with unseeing eyes, as if nothing at all mattered in the world. And Yosuke was so quiet, that Kanji actually felt as if he were the only person in the tent.

"U-Um…" Kanji started, and then shut his mouth. He had been the one to stay behind with Yosuke, because no one else had wanted to. Kanji wasn't sure if it was the awkwardness of Yosuke saying he saw his dead crush come back to life as a ghost, and no one had wanted to deal with the awkwardness or it was the fact that Yosuke had clammed up so hard that one might've wondered if he was procuring a pearl inside that mouth of his.

"_**It is surprisingly well-made, shining pieces of hope are scattered everywhere."**_

"Rise?" Kanji jumped as the song filtered into their little tent. "The hell?"

"Kanji." Kanji jumped again when Yosuke began speaking.

"Oh, uh… yeah, what, Senpai?"

Yosuke lifted his head to glare at Kanji from across the tent. For some reason, Yosuke didn't look like Yosuke. His face was hard set, free of the carefree features Kanji was so used to.

"_**Beaming brightly."**_

"You like Naoto, right?" Yosuke said, suddenly. "And you won't tell her."

Kanji suddenly blushed, his pale face turning a dark shade of crimson in the dimly lit tent.

"Y-Yeah, what's it to you? You gonna make fun of me or somethin'? S'not like I care!" He was getting defensive, glaring at the boy he'd actually cared enough about to stay with.

"Then… you would understand what it's like to…" Yosuke stopped there, growing silent once more.

For once, Kanji didn't think he wanted to hear what else Yosuke had to say.

"_**Yes, I thought, I knew such things."**_

* * *

Naoto was searching for the nearest coffee machine.

True, it was illegal to rip open a box of Tassimo instant coffee to use for her own desire, but she supposed it was Junes' own fault for not checking if customers were still in the store. Tucking the latte and espresso underneath her arm, Naoto made a straight bee-line for the coffee machines, grateful that it probably wouldn't taste like precinct coffee.

"_**But my understanding was only within my mind."**_

Naoto stopped, narrowed her eyes, and glanced quickly around. Even now, she couldn't be free of Rise, it seemed. The Detective Prince sighed, and placed the espresso contained in the Tassimo coffee machine, dropping the plastic cup onto the little pagoda. She really, really needed her coffee.

"_**I didn't know anything for real."**_

The black liquid trickled slowly into the plastic cup, and Naoto sighed, tugging her signature cap downwards just the tiniest bit. Slowly, Naoto crinkled her nose at the smell of black coffee, and reached for the balancer, the latte container.

Extracting the used espresso container with doctor-like movements, Naoto tossed it into the garbage which was, conveniently enough, within her ability to toss it in. Finally, she had her cup of coffee, and she brought it to her lips, grimacing as the warmth ran down the back of her throat.

She sighed. She had really needed that.

"_**This is, the love, that would never not end."**_

"_I suppose," _Naoto thought to herself, gripping the lip of the counter the coffee machines had been standing on. _"That I am the only one taking this seriously."_

"_**So I, will try, to love, it."**_

* * *

The song ended, the arrows disappeared, and the green-haired girl on the screen offered a very rare smile, giving Rise and Teddie the peace sign before disappearing from the screen. Teddie had, not surprisingly, failed and was not the greatest sport about it while Rise hadn't missed a single arrow. Which caused the girl to clap with delight, squealing mercilessly.

"Guys," The two jumped when a voice went on over the PA. "Meet up in the Electronics Department. It's…" The voice paused for a minute or so, and then came back on. Rise recognized the voice as Souji. "Midnight."

* * *

Souji and Adachi stood beside the familiar flat-screen television while the group walked somberly towards them. Chie yawned, stretching as they walked towards the group.

"Okay, so we're all sleeping in that tent Yukiko found, right?" Asked Souji, and the group soberly nodded, too tired to do anything.

"Oh," Came a voice, airy and unfamiliar. "Aren't you that transfer student?"

The group craned their necks, paling as they saw who stood at the end of the Electronics Department, tying an apron around her ghostly visage.

Saki Konishi was looking at Souji, smiling her plastic smile. Her eyes went from Souji, to the detective that stood beside him, and her eyes grew soft.

"And you're…" She grew slightly quiet, her sentence ending in a raspy whisper. "Detective Adachi. You tried to…"

It seemed as if hours went on before she finished, everyone staring at Adachi in anticipation.

"Save me. You were yelling at that man…"

Her gaze then turned to Yosuke.

"Hana-chan? Why are you so scared? Wasn't this your wish, to see me alive?" Then her face grew harder, darker.

"Of course, I didn't want to see _you."_

Yosuke flinched, grimacing as Kanji held him in a fireman's lift.

"Saki Konishi." Naoto stepped forward, gaze set in that cool manner. "Who was it that turned you into a phantom?"

"Who are you?" Asked Saki, tilting her head to the side, towering over Naoto's unfortunate short stature.

"Wait." It had been Adachi who stepped forward, standing beside Naoto. "Who threw you in?"

And then Saki placed her hands on Adachi's head, cradling his cheekbones.

"Remember."

The world around them disappeared, replaced by a darkness that seemed so incredibly surreal.

"What the hell's goin' on!" Kanji yelled, as everyone was rushed through a myriad of memories, all of which, Adachi recognized, were his.

They were in his head.

He was getting his memories back.

* * *

**NNGH fail chapter let me go crawl in a corner and cryyyyyyyyy.**

**The song that Rise is singing in Nana Kitade's Kibou no Kakera.**


	44. Fragments Of Memories

Vindicated

Chapter 44: Fragments Of Memories

_I'm a believer that keeps walking._

_

* * *

_

Memories, faded fragments of pictures and scenes, floated eerily around the group. Saki stood in front of Adachi, watching him calmly through dead eyes, through the eyes of someone who has seen too much in her short lifespan.

"Woah…" Chie started, her lips parting. Fragments of Adachi's memories floated past her, curling above her shoulder and leaving traces of a chill across her jawbone. "W-Where are we…?"

"You're in my head." Adachi stated, matter-of-factly, watching Saki with an expression of intrigue. Izanami's kiss floated in front of him, as she backed him into the wall of that alley, and Adachi felt a sharp pain reach through his heart. Chie looked bewildered at his answer, and stared at Adachi, who in turn stared at Saki.

For a moment, there was nothing but a bitter silence and the passing of his own memories reaching through the darkness they were all embroiled in.

"Will you remember?" Asked Saki.

"Yeah, of course." Replied Adachi.

And the darkness disappeared, replaced by a faded bright light.

* * *

_The man was an outline of darkness, as if he bore no form, and Adachi was not surprised to see himself walking towards the man. He was also, not surprised, to see that he could no longer recall who the man was, though the disappointment was… disheartening._

"_Mayumi Yamano will be in the lobby in a few minutes." Said the disembodied voice, it had a familiar ring to it, and sounded soft, dark, like the sound of rainwater and creeping shadows and ghosts haunting every decrepit warehouse. The shadow, the outline, leaned against the Amagi Inn's deserted counter, and Adachi realized then that there was not a single person in sight._

"_Alright." He saw himself nod, letting that stupid, foolish smile of his crawl across his face._

"_She's pretty, isn't she?" The shadow folded hands beneath his chin, leaning over the counter with as much grace as a three-legged cat. "Mayumi Yamano."_

_Adachi saw himself blush, and shift uneasily from foot-to-foot before answering, tugging at his trademark scarlet tie, "I… Yeah, but she's an announcer. They don't let ugly women on air."_

_At this, the shadow laughed, a raspy, barking sort of laugh that sent chills down Adachi's spine._

"_No," The shadow turned to him, lolling its head to the side as if in boredom. "Don't suppose they do, do they?"_

"_Mind if we hit Junes after this?" Adachi straightened his jacket, narrowing dark eyes at the lilting shadow. "I need to buy groceries."_

"_Sure."_

_At that, the sound of heels tapping against the hardwood floors made Adachi and the shadow, whomever he was, look up at the approaching figure. Adachi nearly choked when he saw Mayumi Yamano, standing in the middle of the lounge, in front of the television. She hadn't changed. Not a single bit. Her hazel eyes ran over Adachi, before flickering towards the shadow who was approaching Mayumi slowly, much more graceful, more dangerous, than before._

"_Who're you?" She hissed, hazel eyes hardening into chips of ice. The shadow said nothing, and reached forward to place his hands on the announcer's shoulders._

"_Hey!" Mayumi swung her arms, smacking the hands away, and Adachi saw himself jump forward._

"_What're you doing!" Adachi stepped in front of Mayumi Yamano, arms held out in a motion to protect her. He was glaring, glowering at the shadow. "You can't just assault-"_

_A punch was landed on Adachi's jaw, striking him down, to the side. It had come so quickly, that Adachi hadn't had time to defend himself, and he landed onto the hardwood floors with a loud, dull thud. Adachi watched himself grab his jaw, and glare up at the shadow, in a look of confusion, resentment and pure bewilderment._

"_Back off." Hissed the shadow, and Mayumi Yamano backed away, landing against the dark entrance of the television. Adachi picked himself up off the floor, grabbing his swelling jaw as he glowered at his supposed 'partner'._

"_What…" Mayumi started, she was leaning against the television now, eyes wide and fearful while the shadow moved forward. "What're you going to do!"_

_Without a single word, the shadow pushed Mayumi into the television. She screamed, her scream cut off and turned moot by the time she sunk into the television, into a familiar pool of black and white. Adachi gasped, falling backwards onto his ass as the scene folded out in front of him. The shadow stood there, watching the fading ripples in the darkness before turning to Adachi, and he swore he saw something of a smirk there, in that shadow's disembodied face._

_In a shushing motion, placing his fingers over his lips, the shadow whispered,_

"_Forget."_

_And Adachi had forgotten, assuming that he had been the one to kill Mayumi Yamano._

* * *

_The scene changed. Instead of hardwood floors and large televisions and empty counters, there was a cold steel table, a tiny non-descript television and a pretty teenage girl sitting across from him. He recognized this place. The interrogation room in the police department._

"_I don't know anything!" Saki Konishi hissed, flipping her crimped hair over her shoulders. "How many times do I have to tell you?"_

_Adachi flinched, though a rather coy smile tugged at the corners of his lips, "I'm sorry, Konishi-san, but this is my job. I kinda have to do this."_

_Saki brought a hand to her head, sighing incredulously as if Adachi were a complete and total moron._

"_I really don't know any-"_

_The door behind them closed and shut, and in walked the shadow, laying down a folder full of papers onto the table. Saki glared at him, irritated at the police, but mostly, at Adachi himself. Sighing, Adachi ran a hand through his hair and glared at the pile._

"_More paperwork? I'm trying to get this done, can't I do it later?"_

_The shadow laughed, a calmer sort of laugh that was not at all like the laughter inside of the Amagi Inn. Sighing, the shadow replied,_

"_I'll handle this for you. Dojima-san wanted you to get to work on this, we've been completely flooded ever since Mayumi Yamano died."_

_At the name, Adachi's eyes had darkened, and he took the papers without a sound and left. Outside, surrounded by the familiarity and monotony of the police station, he took a seat by his desk, greeting Dojima who only grunted in return._

_It was the scream that brought him back to the interrogation room. He stood up, and realized that no one else, had seemed to have heard it, and Dojima was too enraptured by something on the database to realized that Adachi had gotten up. Oddly, no one went or left. It was as if… Adachi had just imagined it._

_Feeling something darker squirm in his stomach, he rushed back to the interrogation room, and was given a sight he thought he wouldn't see. The shadow let go of Saki Konishi's left leg, letting her sink into the black and white abyss of the television._

"_What the hell!" Adachi backed into the now closed door, banging the back of his head loud enough to make the shadow whip around and see him standing there, watching the shadow with a look of fear and recognition._

_Again, the shadow pressed two fingers to his lips in a hushing motion, and Adachi had forgotten once more, his memories gone from his mind, and his guilt growing over something he had not done, growing like moss does upon a rock, swallowing him whole._

* * *

The familiar area of Junes crowded around his senses, and Saki watched him interestedly. Everyone else glances around, bewildered at the sudden change of environment. They had seen the same thing as him.

"Do you remember, now?" Saki asked him, looking at Adachi expectedly. Adachi rubbed at his eyes, the memories sinking into place, like forgotten fragments of something greater, larger. He remembered now, that he had seen the murders, but the outline of the actual murderer remained a mystery. The man's face was lost to him, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi's true form forgotten in the darkness.

"Yeah… yeah, I do." He answered, as a large headache started at the back of his head.

It had been Chie, who had asked the question that was swirling around in all of their heads,

"But… then who _is _the killer?" The girl looked from Adachi to Saki, worried. "I mean, it's not like we got any real clues in there."

"That is not true." Naoto interjected, and everyone turned to the Detective Prince, who looked down at the ground in slight dismay. "The only other person that could've been in all of those places, was someone who is in the Police Department."

Adachi felt a sudden wave of nausea, as he came to the conclusion,

"Isao Takano."

Naoto nodded, stiffly, then shook her head in complete, and utter distress. "We've been duped."

"Shall I tell you who the traitor, is as well?" Saki spoke up, and everyone looked to the ghost. Yosuke, in turn, stiffened, turning a sharp gaze to Saki as the ghost in turn, turned her own gaze to Yosuke.

"Wasn't this your wish, to see me again, Hana-chan?" Her voice held the bitterness of someone who'd been yanked from paradise by cruel fate. "You made a deal with the devil himself, to see me again and now I have become a ghost."

"Yosuke." Souji looked at the boy, who was now backing away slowly, towards the television in the Electronics Department. Yosuke smiled, and leaned back. Souji jumped forward, grasping for the collar of Yosuke's shirt, but Yosuke fell through, entering the television and leaving behind ripples of black and white.

"It was Yosuke…" Chie whispered, her lips were parted in shock.

"That bastard!" Kanji drove his fist into a nearby table, denting it.

"We need to go after him!" Naoto jumped towards the television, thrusting an arm through it and looking back at her companions. "Quickly! Before he can escape us!"

There were no words spoken between them, as they rushed into the television and after their traitorous friend.

* * *

_**Short chapter, I know. But I'm preparing for a larger chapter next time around.**_

_**Both killer and traitor have been revealed! So what shall happen next?**_


	45. The Puppet

Vindicated

Chapter 45: The Puppet

_If you'll be my sea, can I be your sky?_

_

* * *

_

Souji's fist collided with one of the many steel pillars that upheld the studio-like structure of the lobby. A dull sound, much like the sound of a pot falling upon the ground, rang out, and those that had considered Yosuke a friend, an ally, craned their heads slowly to look at their enraged, fearless leader. Souji swore, a jolt of pain shooting up his arm from the sudden abuse, and the silverette leaned against the pillar now, head turned down so he would not have to show his embarrassment at his sudden change of temper.

They couldn't find Yosuke. Rise continued to stand in front of the ever-moving radars of Kanzeon, futilely attempting to garner even, or at least, a trace of where Yosuke had run off to. And so far, she had been unsuccessful.

"Guys… it's like he's completely disappeared." Rise said, finally, Kanzeon disappearing in a sudden flare of silver light. Her words had an unnatural quality to them, as if they weren't real, as if there wasn't a grasp of reality hanging to her sentence. As if Yosuke hadn't betrayed them and they hadn't been played like violins.

"That bastard." Kanji spat, and he shook with a fierce, trembling anger. "S'not right."

"It doesn't make sense." Chie murmured, her eyes were ringed with red, with tears that she had choked back down or wiped away with the hem of her sleeve. "Why… why would he _do _this?"

Adachi glanced wearily at Souji, who in turn looked up at Adachi, cradling his now bruised hand as carefully as one would a tiny child. Teddie, in his odd red and blue outfit, stared out at the foggy surroundings with precarious care, large eyes slightly narrowed in an expression caught between sadness and anger.

"The fog…" Teddie started, and everyone glanced at the Shadow. "It's completely covered up his scent."

"He couldn't have gone far." Adachi stated, glancing back at Souji whose head was turned completely down. "We were right behind him."

"I agree." Naoto replied, and she tipped her cap down so the shadows covered her narrowed eyes. "Perhaps he has…" Naoto made a small sound of shock, long-lashed eyes widening beneath the shadows of her cap. "That is it!"

"What?" The reply tumbled out, as shaky as a leaf in autumn, from Souji's lips. He'd garnered the ability to look up again, eyes falling on Adachi's thin frame, and then Naoto, as the Detective Prince gave a small frown, despite her eyes widening in realization or recognition.

"Hanamura-senpai's dungeon." Said Naoto. "Perhaps he is waiting for us there, knowing one of us would've come to the conclusion."

Without a word, Souji pushed himself off of the steel pillar, and lead the team, lips pulled into a thin, bloodless line.

* * *

Saki's twisted reality greeted them. Barrels were overturned in front of the store, a sky similar to Magatsu Inaba's hung overhead, shifting interminably and the windows betrayed no person inside, looking much like a bottomless pit in appearance. The group crowded around outside the Konishi Liquors, staring intently at the red and black portal that marked the entrance.

It had been Souji who dipped her head down in a small bow and retreated through the portal, Adachi trailing behind him, exuding a sort of shiftiness one would've expected from the man. Everyone else paused for a second, two, and then followed suit.

They'd been betrayed, they'd discovered the Amatsu-Mikabishi's form in the process, but the idea that _Yosuke _had betrayed them… Well, it was enough to throw them all into a stunned silence.

As expected, Yosuke stood behind the faded counter, a humanoid shape they could barely discern in the darkness. Yosuke shifted pieces of a torn picture in front of him, the picture had been the one of all of them, sans Adachi, a picture they had taken at the end of the year. Souji had a similar one in his wallet, and he had looked upon it fondly when leaving for the first time. Yosuke shifted the pieces, scattering half of Naoto's body and part of Yukiko's face to the side in a sweeping motion that seemed too grandiose for Yosuke.

Yosuke looked down at the counter, folded his arms on it and refused to stare up at the group that had filed into Saki's reality. Into the small room filled with barrels upon barrels of alcohol. His eyes were ringed with red, a sign that he had been crying. And yet, his face betrayed not a single shred of remorse. He was expressionless, blank.

"So…" Yosuke started, sighing. "Here we are, partner."

"Yosuke." Souji's voice was darker, and held the undertones of someone whose heart had been ripped apart. "Why?"

That made Yosuke angry. Yosuke slammed a fist upon the counter, emitting a dull noise before wrenching his head upwards to glare at the group. Everyone flinched, sans Souji, who simply stared blankly at his treacherous friend.

"Why!" Yosuke yelled, Chie looked down, angry. "Don't ask me _why! _You _know _why!"

"No. I don't."

Chie stepped forward to stand beside Souji, and her face turned from grief to anger as she wailed at him, "Is this about Konishi-senpai? Yosuke, you are _such a moron!"_

Yosuke glared at her, "Shut _up, _Satonaka!"

Chie flinched, her lips parted in shock. Yosuke, being Yosuke, would have never stood up to her so brashly and angrily. It was something… that scared Chie, and Chie glared at him, fists clenching at her side.

"Saki-senpai… I just wanted her to live." Yosuke was crying now, tears dribbling down the side of his face. "The Amatsu-Mikaboshi… he said he could bring her back from the dead if I did everything he said. I… I didn't care that people would get killed, that the murders were continue. I _wanted Senpai."_

Tears dotted the torn picture of his friends, slapping across Souji's rendered smiling face. Yosuke had wrenched his head back down, refusing to look up at his betrayed former friends.

"You. Are." Souji had dipped his head down, trembling with a ferocious anger. "Such. A. Selfish. _Bastard!"_

Yosuke sobbed, tears still running down his cheeks. Chie stopped glaring at him, her brown eyes softening just the tiniest bit at his sorrow. With an angry flourish, Yosuke swept a hand across the counter in front of him, scattering the torn shreds to the ground where they danced in the air before crashing in front of the silent group.

"I have to kill you." Yosuke whispered, his voice hitching ever so slightly in his grief. "I have to."

"You don't _have _to do anything." Said Souji. He'd calmed down, outstretched a hand for Yosuke to accept. "Yosuke. We can defeat the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, we can forgive you." At this, everyone nodded behind Souji. "I understand your-"

"You _understand nothing!"_

Yosuke hopped over the counter with an ease and quickness that had been practiced in the television. His feet tapped the ground slightly and Yosuke hurriedly produced his twin kunai, glaring at Souji.

"This is for Saki-senpai!" He declared, eyes hollow and wide in their sockets. "She must live!"

"Everyone get ready!" Said Rise, retreating to the edge of the room, Kanzeon appearing behind her in a silver flash of light.

* * *

Isao Takano was laughing. His brown fedora was discarded on the table beside him in Adachi's apartment, grey eyes gleaming with a darker and delighted glimmer as he nearly laughed himself to tears. He was in Adachi's apartment, legs resting on the coffee table in front of him, the television flickering every now and then as the confrontation between Yosuke and his friends played out in front of Isao.

Souji leaned forward with all his might, slashing Yosuke's pantleg. Adachi summoned Bishamon, the checkered Persona appearing behind him in a flash of silver. A large, jagged jolt of electricity hit Yosuke, knocking him backwards. Yosuke stood up, summoning Susano-o behind him, and lime green gusts of wind tore at his former friends.

Isao was laughing, a ragged, dark sort of laugh that seemed almost devoid of humor. He was mocking them. Their beliefs. Their idiocy and inability to see what was plainly in front of them. They knew nothing. And Isao, being the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, would have to make them see.

They were all such Fools.

Naoto Shirogane crushed the card in her hand, the tiny frame of Yamato-Takeru appeared behind her, then lurched forward, the incorporeal blade of the Vorpal Blade cutting through Yosuke.

Isao passed a hand in front of his lips, smirking.

* * *

"Megidola!" The card was crushed between Adachi's fingers, silver wisps escaping into the air as Bishamon appeared behind him, colored in a black and white garb of checkers. He moved his double maces, and a large cloud, meteor, of something hit Yosuke, sending the boy to the floor once more.

Yosuke was covered in cuts and bruises, blood seeping lazily out of his cuts, hair ragged and wild as he continued to fight them. He was bent over now, broken by his friends reluctant hits and attacks.

"Yosuke!" Souji screamed, his voice somewhat distant, now. "This is stupid! You need to st-"

"No!" Yosuke screeched, picking himself up, standing straight, raising his kunai.

Yosuke jumped forward, slashing Souji's nose. Souji screeched as metal met with his nose, cutting a long, jagged line across his nose and right cheek. Naoto raised her gun and without a second thought, shot Yosuke. Yosuke gasped as the bullet hit his shoulder and he staggered backwards dropping his kunai to staunch the sudden blossom of blood that stained his orange shirt. He hissed, glaring up at Naoto whose eyes widened when she realized what she had done.

"Yosuke!" Chie jumped forward, concerned for her friend and Yosuke's head whipped around, glaring at her. Yosuke fell to his knees as a jolt of pain shot up and down his arm. Blood leaked down his sleeve, dripping lazily onto the ground of Konishi Liquors. Souji grimaced, wiping the rather shallow cut across his face.

Yosuke began to breath heavily, strands of golden-brown hair obscuring his face from view. The group approached him cautiously, Yukiko running forward to lean down beside him…

She was met with a slap in face and a hastily yelled, "Get away!"

Yukiko staggered backwards, holding her red cheek with a shocked look on her face. Yosuke glanced from her and looked up into Souji's silver eyes, scowling darkly,

"So…" He gasped in pain, gripping his bleeding shoulder. "This… this is the end? Just… kill me…"

"No." Souji choked out. "I'm… not going to kill you."

"Yeah…" Another gasp, a pained grimace. "You… c-couldn't… k-kill Namatame either. O-Or… Adachi."

"What does that accomplish for anyone?" Adachi echoed, and everyone glanced up at him, including Yosuke, eyes wide. He was saying the exact same thing Yosuke had said to him, all those months ago.

"Just… let me die, already…" Yosuke hurriedly said. "I've… got nothing… to lose." He flinched, the pain became an angry throbbing.

There was the sound of sarcastic clapping.

"Bravo." Said a new voice. "But I can't let you die yet, puppet."

* * *

Isao Takano was clapping, slowly, sarcastically. Mocking them. The team turned away from the fallen Yosuke to look at the new voice, raising their weapons. Yosuke's head slowly went up, eyes widening not in pain or gratitude, but in wild fear.

"Isao Takano." Naoto stated, she raised her pistol, trembling slightly as she aimed for his head. Isao could only laugh.

"You can't kill me with that little _toy, _child." He remarked, and Naoto lowered her pistol, long-lashed eyes narrowing beneath the shadows of her cap.

Yosuke coughed out a single, choked sentence, "_You…"_

He looked fearful, despite the jolting and vicious pain in his shoulder. Fearful of Isao Takano, of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. And Isao only smiled at this, chuckled, as if this whole confrontation were a joke.

"I'm afraid you still have your uses, Yosuke Hanamura." Isao clapped, a sarcastic form of clapping not dissimilar to the clapping Adachi had offered them in Magatsu Inaba. The die had been cast. "So I can't let you die here."

"What?" Adachi murmured… eyes hardening into an angry glare at the one who'd blacklisted his memories. Isao turned to the Detective, smirking an insufferable all-knowing smirk,

"I'll be waiting for you Adachi." Isao's grey gaze swept the whole group, who stiffened a little, unable to do anything. Yosuke scrambled to his feet, lurching slowly upwards like a puppet being pulled lazily by its strings. "As will Izanami."

At this, Adachi froze, eyes wide. A flicker of the beautiful goddess ran through his mind, ruby eyes cast in a determined expression as she told him she would be leaving.

"Izanami?" Souji asked, quietly, he appeared just as shocked by the sudden mentioning of the goddess, but then his silver eyes hardened angrily at the implications behind Isao's statement. "Is she helping you?"

"Of course not." Replied the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Isao Takano. "At least, not anymore."

He looked straight at Adachi, smirking, "If you ever want even a chance at seeing Izanami once more, and defeating me to end this… crusade of mine. You'll hand over Yosuke Hanamura. Now."

"Adachi-san…" Whispered Chie. Everyone was looking at Adachi expectantly, knowing unconsciously that this was his choice, and his choice alone. Adachi looked down. It was a hard choice. They could fight Isao Takano right here, right now, and end this once and for all but… Izanami would be lost. Adachi trembled, as if he had been thrown into a tumultuous tornado of choices.

If he took the deal, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi _and _Yosuke could escape, and… no, he didn't want to think about that.

"Take the deal." Souji placed a hand on his shoulder, and Adachi jumped a little, startled by the motion. He craned his head to look at Souji, whose eyes shown and gleamed with a compassion and caring Adachi had never before seen in the boys' eyes. The group around them nodded, agreeing with their fearless leader.

Adachi wrenched Yosuke forward by the uninjured arm, causing the Junes Kid to flinch as he was thrown forward in front of Isao. The Amatsu-Mikaboshi smiled as Yosuke walked beside him, head bent down and newer, fresher tears running down his cheeks.

"Until we meet again." And the two were gone in an eruption of black.

* * *

**GAIZ, WE'RE REACHING THE CLIMAX! D:**


	46. Murphy's Law

**So much foreboding for this chapter. And it's in the freaking **_**summary.**_

'**The truth will **_**shake **_**the town of Inaba to its core.'**

**You'll see. ;-)**

**

* * *

**

Vindicated

Chapter 46: Murphy's Law

_If something can go wrong, it __**will **__go wrong._

_May 20__th__ 2012_

_

* * *

_

Souji stared plainly at the empty chair around the white-washed table, eyes dim and nearly lifeless as the reality, of Yosuke's betrayal had begun to sink in. He was gone. He'd abandoned them out of some, stupid notion that the Amatsu-Mikaboshi could bring Saki Konishi back to life. That Yosuke could have Saki within his grasp once more.

He'd betrayed the friends he'd stuck around with for nearly two years. The friends who cared for him, who understood what he'd been gone through, who knew the truth of the murders and the Shadows. Souji tore his gaze from the empty chair beside him and Teddie and swept a silver gaze across all of his friends.

Naoto was staring plainly at the middle of the white-washed table, Kanji had dipped his head back to look up at the overcast and crowded dark clouds, Teddie looked somber, staring off into space, Adachi was staring down at the folded hands on his lap, thinking probably of Izanami and the deal he had made with the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Rise and Yukiko were comforting a near-tears Chie.

Then, Souji announced what all of them already knew,

"Yosuke is gone."

Chie made a choked sound, one that was between both a sound of complete and total rage, and a sad sob. Yukiko reached out for her hand, squeezing it comfortably as a sign of friendly reassurance. Souji had a feeling, then, that Yosuke and Chie hadn't been telling him _everything _that went on in their lives. And it made the reality of Yosuke's betrayal all the more sour.

"We _know _that, Senpai!" Kanji hissed, angrily, and it was a shocking sound.

Kanji, though staring up at the overcast, was trying, vainly, to contain his overwhelming anger, and the blond delinquent slammed a fist into the table in front of him, causing everyone to jump just a little, save Naoto who calmly stayed seated, hands pressed on her kneecaps.

"He's…" Chie's hand passed over her stomach, as if she had had a sudden stomachache. Yukiko glanced over at her, worriedly. "He's really gone."

"Chie…" Rise whispered, rubbing the usually strong girl's shoulder reassuredly. Chie did not look the least bit reassured, staring lifelessly out at the air, as if nothing in the world mattered anymore.

Naoto's voice broke the uncomfortable, tense silence, "Hanamura-senpai has betrayed us. I did not see this sooner, and I take the blame upon my shoulders for not…" Naoto silenced herself, bending her head down as if trying desperately to bite back bitter tears.

"It's not your fault." Said Adachi. "It's no one's."

"Adachi-san…" Souji replied, calmly, though he trembled with so much bitterness, so much hatred for Yosuke, who had betrayed them. "Izanami…"

"I'll find her." The reply was short, quick, and offered with a dark, angry glare. He'd already screamed at Souji once for being a busy-body, and Adachi wasn't in the mood to have Souji poke about his personal business. "Don't worry yourself, okay?"

"Right…" There was an undertone of sheer worry in Souji's voice, however.

"Guys…" It was Rise who spoke, and everyone craned their head to look over at the frightened pop idol. Tears were beginning to pool at the corners of her large brown eyes, twinkling and blinking like stars in their depths. "We… could die. The power I felt coming off the Amatsu-Mikaboshi…" She shivered, as if suddenly blasted by a rush of cold air. "It was… terrible."

No one said a word to that.

* * *

"Chie."

The girl in question turned around to see Souji still sitting at the white-washed table. The silverette was staring at the white-washed table with a terrified, almost horrified, and empty gaze. It was as if all the life had been sucked out of him by the events that had transpired with Yosuke, by watching his closest friend, his second banana, betray him. Chie turned back, looking at the backs of her friends that were walking away, to prepare for the coming venture into the television. Kanji said something to Naoto, blushing furiously and dragging the Detective Prince away.

"I…" She turned back to Soui as he began to speak once more. "I need to talk to you."

Chie sat down on the chair opposite of Souji, but the silverette only stood up, facing away from the brown-haired girl.

"Souji-kun…?"

"Do you love Yosuke?" The question was brief, quick and whispered in such a quiet tone. Yet… the question itself held such power, such sorrow, and Chie froze completely in her chair. Had Souji really asked her that?

Or truly, honestly, _how did he know?_

"I… Souji…I…" Chie stood up, violently, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Why are you asking me that! Why now! Why, after all that's happened?" She yelled, her voice carrying an unknown weight of simple moroseness. Tears, angry and vicious, streaked warm droplets down her cheeks and Souji whipped around, turning violently on his heel to face her.

He was calm, though clearly taken aback by Chie's sudden outburst, "Chie… you do, don't you? You love Yosuke."

"I…" Chie hung her head, tears peeling off her cheeks to touch the ground in miniscule, wet, dark drops. "We… we never told you… never told anyone…" Her voice was soft, sad.

Souji, on the other hand, was frozen in place at her words. _Never told me… what?_

Chie walked around the table to stand in front of Souji, her head hanging low, dragging her feet like she was a child forced to her room at night. Chie passed a hand across her stomach, her touch lingering there.

"Souji… I'm… I-I'm…" Her voice shuddered with every breath, and the girl began to quietly sob. Souji wrapped his arms around her, holding the crying girl tightly to his body, comforting her. To see Chie cry… whatever had happened, had to have been something so serious…

"I'm…" Chie took a deep breath, breathing in Souji's scent of strawberries and cinnamon. "P-Pregnant. And Yosuke… Yosuke is the father."

Souji was floored.

He gasped, sharply, loosening his tight embrace on Chie. She was… pregnant? With Yosuke's child?

"When…?" He swallowed, hating Yosuke, hating the boy with every fiber of his being. How could Yosuke do this? How could he leave Chie, on her own? How could he betray not only her, but all of them?

He hated Yosuke. There was no better or worse word to describe the dubious feelings Souji felt towards the other teen.

Chie sobbed into Souji's shoulder, holding the silverette tightly as if he were a valuable possession, a sibling. After a few silent moments of her crying and Souji supporting, Chie pulled back, bit her lip, and looked at the ground of the Food Court with red-ringed eyes, replying,

"After… after you left… and before Adachi-san came back and everything started up again… we… we weren't sure where it was going and—" She grew angry, then, her face twisting into a mixture of total sorrow and anguish. "That… that _moron!"_

"Chie."

She lifted her red-ringed eyes to look up at Souji.

Without thinking, Souji kissed her.

* * *

Isao Takano was lounging on Adachi's couch.

Adachi started, then stopped, black gaze hardening into an icy, dubious glare. Isao Takano turned to him, grey eyes glinting with the madness that was encased inside of him, smiling the insufferable smirk that Adachi truly, indefinitely, wanted to wipe off of his face.

Instead, the detective icily hissed, _"You."_

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Isao Takano, ignored him, and raised two hands in the air as if in surrender.

"We had a deal," He said. "You and I. Yosuke for Izanami."

Adachi froze, his eyes traveling to the far corner of his apartment.

There, her white robes draping off of her like hanging laundry, stood Izanami.

* * *

The kiss was hurried brief, and Souji held Chie so tightly, so warmly in his arms. Why had he kissed her? Was it out of pity? Or the fact that, for as long as he could remember, he had admired this strong, tough girl. And had… had left her to Yosuke out of care for the other boy.

He shouldn't have done that. Then, maybe…

Souji deepened the kiss, parting Chie's lips and Chie invitingly allowed him in. Her hands traveled from his chest to curl around his neck, kneading constellations in their wake. For Chie, there was something… comforting in knowing that Souji had always been there for her and that this… wasn't her betraying a traitor, but finding comfort in Souji's embrace.

She didn't want to think of Yosuke. Not now. Not ever. Never again.

But it hurt her to think that she was two-timing him. Even if he was the one who stabbed her in the back first and left her to die.

No. She didn't want to think of that, either.

She didn't want to think of anything but Souji's strong embrace and soft lips.

* * *

Izanami refused to look at him, her ruby gaze settling instead on Adachi's crooked tie. The detective made a face of complete agony upon seeing her, the memory of their last conversation still burned into the forefront of his memory. Izanami closed her eyes, and for a moment, it seemed as if it were just them, and the Amatsu-Mikaboshi wasn't here at all.

"Why?" Her voice was soft, and like cobblestones. Her voice… it too, sparked something inside of Adachi that he wanted desperately to quell. "Why did you come after me?"

"Always." Adachi straightened himself, and he furrowed his brow. "I told you I would be there for you. Always."

Izanami recalled the words as a whisper in the shell of her ear, spoken quietly in the midst of passion.

"Well, this is all very _touching," _Adachi turned to Isao Takano who was sneering at the scene unfolding in front of him. "But I didn't come here to _throw up."_

Adachi clenched his fists, his lips dipping into a ferocious snarl that was so much like the one he presented in Magatsu Inaba, that the similarity was almost… frightening to behold. Isao smirked, the smirk splitting his face into a mask of total madness, his grey eyes glinting like gleaming wet stones.

"Now that I've fulfilled my part of the deal…" Those eyes were dancing with pure joy. "I'm going to finish what I started."

* * *

"Souji-kun… wait…" She pushed weakly at his chest, parting her lips from his. Chie looked up at him, her brown eyes widening slightly in… confusion?

"Souji… I-"

A loud explosion cut her off.

The two teens fell to the ground as the ground beneath them shook violently. Souji grabbed Chie, holding the girl in his arms as debris flew everywhere, scattering across the Junes Food Court. Smoke erupted from a cabal of apartments located in the Shopping District and Souji felt a sinking feeling in his heart when he realized that those apartments…

"Adachi-san!" He screeched, rising to his feet, taking hold of Chie's hand. There was another loud explosion, a lot like a giant wet plop, which shook the ground once more, causing the two teens to stagger and fall against the white-washed table.

Souji ran, holding Chie's hand tightly as they navigated through crowds of screaming people and flying debris. Something was happening, obviously. And the fact that it was all coming from Adachi's apartment…

Something _very bad _was happening.

"Senpai!" It was Kanji, followed by the rest of their little Investigation Team.

"Senpai, that explosion…" Naoto seemed to be out of breath, looking wildly out at the little cabal of apartments in the Shopping District. She must have known, too, then.

"Let's go!" Souji yelled. "We don't have any time to waste!"

* * *

**Sorry for the really long wait. Have had to get school supplies, since my freedom is gone tomorrow.**

**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**By the way?**

**Harvest Moon Animal Parade = My newest obsession.**


	47. The Elevator's Destination

**Had this chapter all nice and ready yesterday and you know what happens?**

**My internet goes down. Yeah, y'know what, screw that shit. My internet always goes down. Especially when I need it.**

Vindicated

Chapter 47: The Elevator's Destination

_I cannot explain to you anything I say or do or plan…_

_

* * *

_

Adachi opened his eyes.

Which, really, was a nearly gargantuan task because of the large piece of rubble that was, coincidentally enough, crushed on top of him. He saw nothing but white, felt the smooth scratch of cloth pressed against his cheek, and smelled Izanami's very familiar smell of rainwater and darkness.

The goddess ran long fingers through his hair as a flood of senses rushed through Adachi all at once. He realized that he was in his apartment, because past the crowd of white he could pick out the remains of his television, and couch. Pins and needles ran up and down his arms, he could feel the light scratch of Izanami's fingers through his hair – was she trying to soothe him? – and the terrible, terrible throbbing pain of his crushed legs.

In truth, he felt horrid.

The memories of what happened washed back to him. He could recall Isao Takano turning into something… the details of what that _something _was was fuzzy to him, like a distant, unknown memory. He remembered an explosion, blacking out and then…

Nothing. Just this.

"You are awake?" The fingers running through his hair stopped, resting instead on Adachi's neck, feeling vaguely like cold ice pressed against his skin. The detective took a deep breath, breathing in the lazy scent of the goddess. His reply did not matter. She knew he was awake.

Adachi was unable to crane his head to look up at her, and instead, rested his head in her lap, narrowing his eyes. He felt… safe, somehow. Despite the pain, despite the fact that he could, possibly, die in this little shitty apartment without really solving the case and really getting his revenge.

Yes.

What if he died?

"You will not die." Izanami reassured him, her voice quiet, confident of that fact while Adachi himself was not. "I can assure you."

"Can you?" The answer came out as a scratchy growl. He needed water, parched as he was. "'Cause, y'know, I don't really find myself reassured with you." The flash of their last real encounter passed through his mind, a stab of pain was thrust through his bleeding heart.

Izanami froze, and traced a half-circle across his neck. Adachi, in turn, shuddered against her touch. There was an edge of iciness there, something that the detective didn't want to recall _at all._

"Do you wish to know, the real reason why I left?"

"Is this _really _the best time?" Really. They were trapped in his apartment and he was being crushed by what was left of his apartment. And the pain was starting to get to him really. They weren't being crushed crushed, but there was an amount of pressure there… that was really awful.

He felt horrible.

Izanami chuckled, a sad, soft sort of chuckle that caught in her throat, and held no undertone of humor.

"You will not die…" She said, simply. "Because I will not allow it." The goddess bent her head forward, strands of gray hair tickled Adachi's cheeks, and the lighting of his destroyed apartment flickered opaquely, splaying shadows across the scene. The pain intensified, and the detective took in a sharp, sudden breath.

"What the Amatsu-Mikaboshi does not know… is that you cannot die while you are attached to my contract. We have a contract, me and you. While I still need you, you shall not die." The goddess narrowed her eyes then, suddenly, the rubies a near slit. "Unless there are… certain conditions under which Yomi will receive you."

"You're a cruel, cruel bitch, y'know that?" Adachi tried to yell, but the pain… it was growing to the point that it was very nearly unbearable. "You… you would rather we suffer, then die? I… I hate… you."

The last sentence was a choked one, forced through Adachi's lips, as if he didn't really mean it. As if it were something that was never and would never be true. He craned his head up, finally finding the crude strength to do so, and stared up into Izanami's pale face, her hair parting into silver veils that tickled his face.

"That is a pity indeed…" She whispered, and there was something harsher there, more primal. "For I cannot find myself to hate you. Even though I should. I must."

The words hit something, deep within Adachi's heart, as if someone, Izanami, had taken a knife to his heart and twisted it. He blinked away sudden tears. He didn't want to show weakness. Not to this woman. This goddess. This… person that he…

No. No weakness.

Not in front of her. Or anyone.

"I…" He started, then looked to the side.

He couldn't finish that sentence.

The fingers in his hair started moving again, stroking slowly, reassuringly.

The pain was beginning to become unbearable.

* * *

There was another explosion.

The ground shook, citizens of Inaba screamed, and Konishi Liquors was ripped spectacularly apart, the sign flying haphazardly through the air like some demented kite. The Investigation Team froze, mouths agape, as they saw… the most horrific sight in their lives.

"What…" It was Yukiko, who voiced their horror and absolute terror upon seeing what they saw. "Is that… the Amatsu-Mikaboshi…?"

The monster towered over Inaba, appearing completely as a black being made of what didn't appear to be a solid or a liquid… no, this monster appeared to be completely made of gas. And nothing else. The monster had glowing grey orbs for eyes, an inflection on the more human side of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The monster held a nonsensical bit of reminiscence to a normal shadow, with its long, grotesque arms and eerily statuesque fingers. The monster searched around, people pushed past the frozen Investigation Team, and the Amatsu-Mikaboshi's glowing grey eyes landed on Souji, eyes crinkling as if it were amused.

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi swept one, long arm across the town, slamming into a slightly tall building of little or no insignificance, spreading debris across the streets, pulling the telephone lines to the ground, bending a few decorative trees.

"Adachi…san…" Souji whispered, fearing the worst. He whipped around, grabbing on to Chie's arm. The sudden motion frightened everyone back into motion, their mouths still agape as the Amatsu-Mikaboshi continued to rage destruction on the small town of Inaba, and several citizens pushed frantically passed them.

Chie gasped, sharply, looking fearfully into Souji's suddenly wild eyes.

"Chie, you need to get out of here, as quickly as you can!" He yelled, holding onto the girl's arm, tightly. "Don't wait up for us. Don't even wait up for me. Just go!"

"No!" She screeched back, everyone was staring at Souji now, as if seeing their fearless leader being well… fearful, was incredibly surprising. "No! Don't be an idiot! I'm not leaving you guys!"

"Go!" Souji screamed, he seemed panicked, for reasons only Chie and Souji knew. "You need to stay… You need to stay safe, please!" He was desperate, and real, actual tears hinged on to the corners of his silver eyes.

"I'm not leaving you guys!" She screamed back, with as much ferocity and anger as a woman torn from her child. "I… I can't!"

He pushed her backwards, towards the exit of Inaba, towards the only escape route in this now hellish town. Souji glared at her, eyes aflame with resolve and determination,

"GO! Go, already!"

Without a word, Chie left.

Souji's resolve was burning.

He turned to the motionless Investigation Team, and there was another explosion, though this time, the Truth-Seekers did not budge. Souji stared at them, silver gaze sweeping across his friends, his allies, the ones that held his heart tightly in their hands.

"Let's go."

It was their destiny.

* * *

Chie hadn't left.

The sporty girl stared at the untouched Junes building, the place where everything had started. Saki had once wandered those rooms. Mayumi Yamano had probably shopped there. She had gossiped to Yosuke and Souji about the Midnight Channel.

Yes. Junes, was the place where everything had started.

And it was also the place where everything would end.

The glass double doors of the entrance had shattered, and Chie let herself in, swearing quietly as a shard of glass dragged itself across her pale cheek. She gripped the cut flesh, feeling a slightly burning sensation there as she did so. The green sweater-wearing girl wasn't really sure what brought her back to this place. For it held more bad memories than good. It held memories of Yosuke. It held memories of Souji.

Worst of all, it held memories of the murders.

"Saki!" Chie called out. She began to run, running quickly and tiredly, her strength bleeding away as she passed isles upon isles of groceries and products, passing large posters broadcasting Junes' low, low prices.

She searched frantically for the worst memory of all.

"Saki-senpai!" Chie cupped her hands around her lips, trying to project her voice. She needed to find Saki. She had too. She didn't care what Souji said, she wanted, needed to find her resolve in this querulous time. She didn't care if Inaba was being torn apart by the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. She didn't care if she would die.

Saki, Yosuke, her resolve… was all that mattered to her.

"Saki Konishi-senpai!"

There, Saki was. The long-haired, dead, teen appeared transparent, as all ghosts should have in the afterlife. The former Liquor Store heiress was standing in front of the all-too-familiar flat screen television, staring into it as if it would provide answers to everything. Saki turned around, hands folded in front of her plaid-imprinted skirt.

"Hello… Satonaka-kohai."

Saki blinked, slowly, looking downward and downhearted. Chie clenched her fist, and any sliver of restraint the younger girl had on her emotions just… disappeared.

"How _could you!" _She hissed, fists clenching at her side. Saki's head shot back up, and the older girl looked surprised at the younger's outburst. "Why did you… Why did you have to go and die!" Chie slammed a fist into one of the shelves and a laptop was thrown to the floor, crashing loudly.

"What? I… I didn't just _go and die!" _Saki was showing more emotion now, then just sad, somber melancholy. "Do you actually think I…"

"I don't care!" Chie screamed, her voice was growing louder and more ferocious by the second. "I don't care if you didn't want to die! I don't! Because of you… because of _you!"_

Chie threw a mini-television to the floor, and it shattered violently at Saki's feet. She continued her screaming and hissing and angry rant,

"Because of _you," _She spat the last word out as if it were poison laced on the tip of her tongue. "Because of you, Yosuke is… is…"

Chie began to cry, again, the tears pooling angrily at the corners of her already red-rimmed eyes. She had worked up a sweat, screaming and ranting at the ghost, and red bloomed across her cheekbones like stains. She tried vainly to furiously wipe away the coming tears with her sleeve but… to no avail. The tears rolled indolently down her cheeks, curling across her cheekbones.

Saki Konishi watched her, frowning but… after a few minutes… a small, sad little smile pulled at the corners of her pale lips.

"You…" Her voice was angel-soft. "You loved Yosuke… didn't you, Satonaka?"

* * *

"I… want… to… know."

Izanami's fingers stopped in his hair, and there was nothing but the sound of Adachi's agonized breathing, and the silver-haired goddess peered, sadly, into his face, watching as the detective she had grown, but not wanted, to love twisted his face in pure, unadulterated agony. As the minutes passed, the rubble was closing in faster and faster on top of his legs, crushing them.

The pain was now unbearable, where it was once only almost unbearable.

"Why?" Her voice held a condescending quality within its depths. "You do not love me, therefore you would not wish to know why I left."

A drop of sweat rolled across Adachi's forehead, dripping onto the tip of Izanami's pinkie finger as she held his head in her lap. He choked out a reply, sure now, that he would never get out of here, the Investigation Team could defeat the Amatsu-Mikaboshi on their own and he… he could be vindicated, he could beg Izanami for death, to release him from their contract,

"I… lied…" He choked out. "I… I only… care… about my…myself… but I don't… I never… want to hurt… you…" He reached up, weak fingers tangling themselves limply in the lacing of Izanami's robes. Adachi started to cry, now, looking up at his cruel contractor with such passion. "Please tell… me and then… kill… kill me… I don't… I don't want… this…"

"No!" Her reply was sharp, angry, and Adachi had never seen a more fierce expression on the woman's pale face. "NO! You must live! Show me… Show me that you are not like Izanagi! Prove to me that you are not that man!"

_"I want to hate you too. But I can't. You are… you are so much like Izanagi and I… I should hate you for it."_

The words were recalled to the forefront of Adachi's mind and he weakly shook his head.

"Why… why are you… such…" The fingers pulled the silver-haired woman further, and Adachi stared deeply into her ruby-like eyes. "A… bitch?"

The space between their lips was closed, and Adachi momentarily forgot the pain of the rubble crushing his legs and focused on Izanami's rough kiss. Her lips parted for him to enter, and he weakly battled her icy tongue. He held on weakly to the lacing of her robes, and pushed away, his nose brushing against Izanami's.

"I left…" Her breath was like snowflakes on Adachi's lips. "Because I cannot be with you, forever. You are mortal and you will deteriorate soon enough and I… I will not. I will stay this way forever, never changing, never aging. You will. And when you die, you will be gone, forever. You are not Izanagi, you will not live forever and we can never be together because of that simple, unfortunate fact."

Adachi released his grip on the lacing of the goddess' robes, looking sadly into her eyes. He hadn't thought of that.

"Then… please… just… stay for… me…"

He kissed her again. And Izanami relented.

* * *

Chie froze, and stared viciously at Saki Konishi. There was so much hatred, so much anger in that gaze that Saki almost found herself flinching in the heat of the envious girl's gaze. The question had tempered Chie's already fragile patience, and the sporty girl clenched and unclenched her fists.

"No." There was a harsh truth in Chie's words. "Not anymore. Never."

Saki looked forlornly at the girl, knowing full-well that Chie was lying.

"Then you will submit to chasing after Yosuke?" Saki turned back to the flat-screen she had been staring into, looking pointedly into its dark abyss. Chie gasped, her eyes widened.

Chie went into the television, hand held tightly over her child.

Saki smiled, and then disappeared.

* * *

They had found Adachi and Izanami, just like that, with his head on her lap and her fingers running through his hair. Adachi had long since passed out from the pain, but the second they had reached the top of the stairs, the second they saw Adachi's serene, unknowing face, they had feared the worst.

"_Adachi-san!" _ Souji ran over to bend down beside him, and Izanami ceased her mundane movements.

"He is still alive." She said, placidly, as if Adachi wasn't crushed underneath a pile of rubble and possibly dead. "Do not worry."

As if on cue, Adachi groaned dully, his eyelids flickering. Outside, there was another explosion, but the ground did not shake in this apartment, save for the flickering ceiling lamp that painted dim shadows on the Investigation Team and Adachi. Souji bent down, looking worriedly at Adachi's now uneasy face.

"Yukiko!" He whipped around, suddenly, and the girl in question flinched at the sudden movement.

* * *

The Velvet Room shuddered to a stop. The elevator had reached its destination.

That fact itself hadn't immediately registered itself in Adachi's mind as his eyes slowly opened. All he saw was a blur of ultramarine, and the outline of a very bizarre-looking man. It took him a while to realize that the man was a man he hadn't seen in quite some time.

Kataki Adachi stared back at his son, a very placid expression set across his usually insane-looking face.

Kataki was holding a large deck of cards in one hand, cradling them as one would cradle something incredibly important or dear to them. Adachi tried, desperately, to convince himself that this wasn't the real Kataki, that the real Kataki couldn't be nearly this placid or this calm because the real Kataki was a true, unadulterated maniac.

Really, Adachi was just trying to convince himself that Kataki was gone forever. That the devil himself wasn't sitting across from him in the stopped elevator.

There was no changing the truth.

"Hello," Kataki stated, as if one came back from the grave every day. "Son."

Adachi didn't respond. He stared back at his father's opaque face, as if its pale opaqueness would provide answers. Answers that Adachi so desperately needed.

Such as _why? _Such as _why me? Why is it always me?_

"Igor and Margaret aren't here," The long-haired man explained, brushing back uncut strands so that they were tucked behind his ear. "They needed to remind you of something."

Adachi found himself wondering if this was a dream. Or a nightmare. Or one of the visions which placed him in the usually always moving elevator.

"You've reached the end of your journey," Said Kataki. "So you've a right to know. To remember."

The long-haired man took the deck in his hands and solemnly shuffled them, eyes closed to half-mast as if this were something so incredibly mundane and boring and uninteresting.

Slowly, Kataki pulled out three cards from the top of the deck, and laid them side up on the table between him and Adachi. Adachi recognized the cards, though the memory of them was fuzzy and indecipherable, as were Igor and Margaret's words.

One card held the symbol of infinity, which was being engulfed by flames as two ever vigilant black eyes stared out of the card. On the one to the far left of that card was a scale, with two bicolored sides that marked the good and evil of Justice. On the one to the far right stood a dancing hermaphrodite, surrounded by the gospel animals of old.

The World.

The Magician.

Justice.

Adachi remembered. He remembered that he had a duty to complete. A journey to finish. The detective felt greater resolve. He couldn't die here. He had a contract to fulfill, an obligation.

He could never die here.

"Do you remember now?" Kataki was frowning at his son, a deep, bitter scowl. "Don't forget. Don't sway. Don't let my death be in vain."

Adachi stared at him, "I don't forgive you." And he never would.

"I never expected you to," The insane man chuckled darkly, a wistful smile spreading across his wrinkled face. "But this was never about me."

"Yes." This was about vindication. About responsibility. About contracts and murders and bodies strung on telephone wires. About friends and lovers. About the true meaning of Justice. "That's right."

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi was going to be defeated.

Adachi would be Vindicated.

* * *

She had found herself coming back to this place. Chie glanced warily at the orange noose that swayed eerily from side-to-side, and sat hesitantly on the chair just below that deathly quiet form of suicide, sitting sideways and staring at the interminably moving portal of Magatsu Inaba. She hugged the back of the chair, fresher tears pricking at the corners of her brown eyes.

The faceless posters and blood spatters stared eerily out at her, and somehow… somehow, Chie felt herself identifying with Mayumi Yamano. Chie felt so envious, so hateful of the fact that… that everyone else got to be happy. She wanted to be happy. She wanted to have a resolution.

Instead, she got this. This… growing hole in her heart. This blackened state of… lethargy. Her red-ringed gaze turned to the oak door of Mayumi Yamano's reality and…

Suddenly, that oak door opened. One hand froze on the knob of the door, the boy that had walked in froze, as if he'd turned to sheer ice.

"Chie."

Yosuke pulled out his twin kunai, eyes suddenly going hard, angry.

Chie, mirroring his movements, pulled out her Persona's card.

* * *

**School sucks. I hate school. I also hate the Maffs. And the tests. Those stupid tests.**

**I also hate how this is going to end in three chapters.**

**THREE CHAPTERS.**

**Like seriously, I've spent almost a whole year on this and it makes me sad to see that it's going to be ending soon. I will, I will cry when I type that last word. I swear I will. My tears will be staining my keyboard.**

**After Vindicated, I'll put out two more P4 fics and will be waiting for P5. D-: I hope it's as good as P4 or even better. I hope they bring some characters back or something. Especially Adachi. But that probably won't happen. ATLUS would bring back Naoto, if they could, I'm sure.**

**Next time on SUPER ANGSTY VINDICATED: Chie and Yosuke have an old western showdown and Adachi finally realizes that the author is a sadist who loves to torture her characters. Even if they're not even hers. (Not really :-D )**


	48. Bitter Goodbyes

Vindicated

Chapter 48: Bitter Goodbyes

_Your tears they mean nothing to me…_

_The law… you never gave…_

_I give to you…_

_

* * *

_

"God's Hand!"

The golden colored fist crushed Yosuke, who quickly scrambled to his feet without a yelp or a scream or even a cry of pain. He brushed back golden-brown strands of hair, and without a word, crushed the grooved silver card in his hand and summoned the flame-haired Susanoo, who stood proudly behind him.

No words between them could they express for this moment. This crux of their tumultuous relationship. Chie had wanted to tell Yosuke, she truly did but…

She needed this fight. She craved it. There was no way that Chie could just sit down and calmly talk to Yosuke. No, their whole relationship had been one big fight. Talking… it would only ruin what they once had. What they could have had, if Yosuke hadn't… if Saki hadn't…

No. If _Chie _hadn't…

This wasn't her fault.

"Garudyne!" Yosuke's voice pulled her brusquely from her uneasy scruples, and Chie felt the sharp, painful green wind tear at her exposed cheeks, cutting the tiny now clotted mark across her cheek open, turning it into a viciously ugly gash that would no doubt leave a nasty scar. She glared at him, brown eyes ablaze and threw her Persona's card into the air, turning and delivering a ferocious roundhouse kick to the card.

Suzuka Gongen stood behind her vigilantly, holding her glowing scarlet-colored sword tightly, as if reflecting Chie's complete anger at the golden-brown haired boy in front of her. Chie shifted from foot-to-foot, bouncing and glaring, and yelled,

"Bufudyne!" With a slightly grandiose flourish, Chie mimicked Souji and pushed the glasses up her nose. Yosuke flinched as shards of ice cut into him and the glasses resting on his nose flew angrily from his face, shattering on the floor of Mayumi's reality. The noose swayed slowly from side-to-side, and the chair below it was knocked aside by an awry piece of ice that had flown from Yosuke to the solid oak object.

The glasses, which had shattered at Yosuke's feet, looked oddly sad and pathetic. It was an ironic symbolism, Chie supposed. The item that made everyone part of the Investigation Team had been taken, broken from Yosuke, as if… as if it were meant to show that Yosuke was truly a traitor, as if Yosuke were not one of them, as if Yosuke was never one of them.

They stopped fighting for a quick moment, and Yosuke had stared at those orange broken glasses with such… humility.

He breathed out deeply, closed his eyes and stared emptily at Chie.

"Go! Susanoo!"

* * *

"Yukiko!" Souji sounded urgent, truly afraid, and the sound made Yukiko flinch. Adachi flinched as well, and his eyelashes fluttered, stirred, and his face was contorted in a way that showed the detective was in complete agony.

"W-What is it Souji-kun?"

"Can you heal Adachi?" The question was urgent, quick. Direct. It was obvious Souji had wanted, needed, a positive answer, which was, of course, _Yes. _But… Yukiko had never summoned her Persona in the Real World before.

She started opening her mouth, to voice this very concern, but Naoto had gotten to it before her.

"Senpai!" Sometimes Yukiko wished she was like Naoto, who was always so businesslike. The Amagi Heiress could see why Kanji liked her. "Our Personas can't be summoned here!"

Izanami, with Adachi's head in her lap, simply stared from Naoto to Souji as they argued, her face and eyes as blank as ever. Silently, the pale goddess wondered why humans argued so. Surely an agreement or peace treaty would be much more amiable.

"We've never tried." Souji pointed out, exhaling deeply to try and calm himself. His entire body was shaking, fearfully. "There is still… a chance it would work."

"Sensei…" Teddie said, his bear-costume eyes glimmered sadly, as if thinking this was pointless and doomed from the beginning.

"The odds are astronomical!" Naoto was still arguing, and there was an ardent sort of passion in her voice. She looked sad as well. Sad for Souji. For Adachi. Of course, the true Naoto Shirogane, the part that stayed a professional, cold, calculative detective would never show such emotion. But everyone, even the most unobservant of them, could see the slight chink in Naoto's emotional and mental armor.

Watching their fearless leader, the boy that had dragged them along through this murder case unravel completely was getting to them. Getting to all of them. It was sad, really, because if Souji unraveled… all of them would.

They needed to pull themselves together if they wanted to go through with this calmly. Outside, there was another explosion, and this one shook the building violently, stirring the rubble that had collected on top of Adachi. Adachi's face, in turn, contorted into an expression of sheer agony that frightened all of them. The man's already pale complexion seemed paler, more sullen.

"I'll…" Naoto and Souji had turned from each other to look at Yukiko, who had spoken up. "I'll… try." Yukiko shot them all a determined glare, a fiery one that hadn't been stoked by the flames of Chie's reassurances.

Speaking of Chie… Souji hoped that the short-haired girl had listened to him, and left Inaba.

Souji hoped she was safe.

* * *

Oh, if only Souji could see Chie now.

The brown-haired girl narrowly dodge Susanoo's attack, and the gash on her cheek bled lazily into the collar of her green sweater, where red blossomed like beautiful wildflowers across the fabric. Chie tripped, and fell onto the floor, her elbow crashing sharply against the dirty wooden floors of the reality. She staggered to her feet, and stared out at Yosuke through her one good eye, as the other had swelled shut from a punch from Yosuke.

Yosuke looked to be in worse shape. There was a jagged cut across his nose that slowly bled down his face. His lip, which the boy had indolently rubbed just then, was split and profusely bleeding. His attacks had grown more harried, due to the fact that the yellow fog blurred Chie from most view. To him, she probably seemed like a blurred figure.

"Suzuka Gongen!" _Persona, Persona, hear my call. _Chie felt sluggish as she moved. "God's Hand!"

* * *

Izanami's eyes widened. She had felt something, then, that had greatly alarmed her.

"There is…" Everyone that had been arguing turned to the pale goddess. "Someone inside the Other World."

Souji had frozen completely. "Chie."

* * *

The golden fist was narrowly dodged by Yosuke, who had rolled across the dirty, dusty ground with graceful ease. The brunette eased himself up, and jumped forward, kunai raised high above his head. Yosuke twisted his body slightly, bringing the kunai sharply down and then sharply back up, where the blade cut a sharp gash into Chie's chin.

Chie staggered backwards, blood spattering across Yosuke's pale face and the girl's back fell violently on the backboard of the bed and Chie's body turned in the air, falling on top of the dirty comforter of the bed. She could smell the old dustiness of the bed, the mustiness of the unclean sheets.

She had wanted to cry, but she couldn't. There was a boy not even two feet away from her that had both loved her and wanted to kill her. So she heaved herself off of the bed, punching the comforter out of pissed off anger and turned to face Yosuke, one eye swollen shut, the other defiantly glaring at him.

Chie whipped around, leg flying high overhead, slamming sharply into the side of Yosuke's head. The brunette staggered to the side before crushing his card and yelling,

"Susanoo! Brave Blade!" The flame-haired Persona appeared behind Yosuke in a flair of silver, throwing the hula-hoop shaped blade at Chie as if the weapon were a boomerang.

"Suzuka Gongen!" The silvery Persona stood in front of Chie, protecting the brunette from further harm. The Persona flinched as the blade came in contact with its own, shuddering and lurching at the sudden contact. Chie suddenly felt dizzy, and pushed her glasses to the side to rub her eyes.

* * *

Amazingly enough, it worked.

Amaterasu stood behind Yukiko, wings outstretched like some benevolent divine bird, gleaming spectacularly in the rubble and destruction of Adachi's apartment. The Investigation Team was crowded around him as well, with Izanami staring off out a window by herself, as if contemplating some great mystery. They had never tried to summon Personas in this World, the thought had, truthfully, never crossed their minds. But it had worked.

Adachi stirred uneasily in his slumber, still passed out. Yukiko was looming over him like a demented doctor, thoughts lost in the wake of healing somebody, her muscles moving entirely on muscle memory.

"We need to go after Chie." Souji announced, when Kanji had heaved the passed-out Adachi upwards to lean on the delinquent. Souji looked from Izanami, to the rubble-strewn streets of Inaba, which had been completely destroyed.

"Senpai…" Rise sounded exasperated, and looked forlorn. Naoto and Kanji shot Souji worried glances, then exchanged a lingering look between each other.

Souji simply punched a dent into a still standing wall in Adachi's apartment.

The sudden action startled them, the group stared and gaped at their leader, who had by now unraveled so much that everything he was thinking was now laid bare. Souji whipped his head around, tears rolling slowly down his pale cheeks like liquid diamonds, and punched the wall again out of anger.

"Damn it!" Souji yelled, angrily. He punched the wall again. "Don't!" Again. "Question!" And Again. "Me!" And Again. "What if Yosuke, what if that _bastard _gets to her?" And Again. "What then?"

The Investigation Team was looking down at their shoes in silence, while Souji only cried and punched and yelled and cursed.

* * *

Chie's roundhouse kick whizzed angrily by Yosuke's head as the brunette ducked. Yosuke stabbed the card of his Persona, Susanoo, calling out,

"Susanoo! Tentarafoo!"

Chie staggered the effects of confusion spreading throughout her rapidly. She cursed, throwing a sedative into the air, using it to cure the unfortunate effect of confusion.

* * *

The group was heading towards Junes, Adachi leaning heavily on Kanji, still passed out. Silence had overtaken them, partly because of Souji's ferocious fear and screeching, and partly because… they were going to their death.

Behind them, there was another explosion, but none of them faltered. Izanami stopped walking with them, and spoke up,

"Child of Man."

Souji turned to face her, looking at the pale, white-clothed goddess with moon-like eyes that just stared at her, lifelessly. He was worried for Chie, that was entirely obvious, and the idea that their fearless leader could be worried _at all _was shaking the rest of the group.

"What is it, Izanami?" His voice was slow, drawling, and sounded as if his throat were tightening up in choked tears.

* * *

Susanoo's Brave Blade caught Chie on the shoulder, spattering a flow of blood that was both alarming to Chie and weakening. The brunette fell to her knees, her blood dripping lazily onto the dirty wood floors of Mayumi's reality.

The orange scarf noose swayed slowly like a monotone.

Yosuke walked towards her until he was right in front of her and raised a single kunai, his brown eyes cast in a look of fierce determination and rebelliousness.

He brought the kunai down.

* * *

Izanami's eyes gleamed like volcanic fires in the darkness. Somewhere distant, there was an explosion, and Souji was reminded angrily of the evil god who was on a rampage to destroy Inaba. Izanami looked determined, and her eyes wandered over Adachi's limp body, lingering there for a moment too long before returning to Souji.

"I will handle the Amatsu-Mikaboshi." She said, slowly, annunciating every vowel, emphasizing every word as if this were incredibly important. "I will be the one to force him back into the Midnight Channel. I will send him there for you to handle."

"We need you." Souji replied, his voice calm but holding a hint of urgency. He almost said unspoken words. _Adachi needs you._

"No." She turned, and it was like this was her destiny. "This is something I must do alone."

Souji stared at her, his gaze hardening.

"I might die." Izanami murmured. "I can, if my monster of a son kills me. Would you…?"

"I would." There was a ring of finality in Souji's voice.

She smiled, a sad sort of a smile and then she disappeared.

* * *

"Wait!"

The kunai stopped right above Chie's head. Yosuke had frozen, his brown eyes had widened, a drop of Chie's blood rolled lazily down his cheek, falling onto Chie's own. He couldn't believe that Chie was crying, that he was making Chie…

No. Yosuke tried to convince himself that he had no feelings for this girl that was on her knees before him. He couldn't have feelings. He needed to live. He couldn't go against the Amatsu-Mikaboshi because if he did… he would...

Yosuke would die.

He rose the kunai again.

"Please…" Chie looked up at him, teary-eyed and scared. "Please don't… kill me… Yosuke…"

And Yosuke froze again.

Chie was looking at him with tear-filled eyes, every gash exposed to him, her swollen shut eye trying desperately to open and look at him. Her hand went to her stomach, cradling it, as if there was something there of great value to her.

"I… need…" She was sobbing now, her voice choking, her throat trying to tie itself into a knot. "To… tell… you something…" She sobbed, forlornly, looking up at him and holding her stomach.

Yosuke knelt before her, feeling something deep within his stomach that was screaming at him to listen to her. He placed the kunai next to him, out of Chie's reach and stared at her.

"What?"

* * *

The skeletal red arms of Izanami's True Form stretched forward like demented spider legs towards the sky, clawed and powerful as they reached for the dark form of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The Amatsu-Mikaboshi turned, his gray eyes, the only part that seemed human in the dark mass, turning towards Izanami-No-Ookami and crinkling with amusement.

Izanami-No-Ookami's skeletal arms sprang forth, like daggered claws.

* * *

Souji pressed a hand into the dark screen of the plasma screen television, and dark waves of black and white rippled at the sudden touch.

They were going to save Chie, should the brunette be in danger.

* * *

Chie looked wide-eyed up at Yosuke, as if the fact that the other brunette was even willing to spare her a few minutes of his time had amazed her. She was still crying, her snuffles loud in the endearing silence of Mayumi Yamano's reality. Yosuke was staring at her, in a cold fashion, his comportment made of ice, his demeanor as frigid as the arctic lands.

She contemplated on whether or not to really tell him. She contemplated the idea that he probably wouldn't even care.

"Yosuke… I'm-"

* * *

"Souji…kun…?" The voice had made Souji freeze in the lobby, and everyone else had frozen in place as well at the familiar sound, the very welcome sound. Inside the lobby, Adachi had raised his head, arm swung awkwardly around Kanji's shoulders, black eyes blinking blearily in the yellow fog.

"Where… am… I…?"

Kanji had shifted as Adachi gathered his weight and footing, resting uneasily on Kanji's shoulders. With a small push, the clumsy detective stood on his own, staggering slightly, eyes still slowly blinking as if he were trying to piece together what had happened.

Souji didn't answer his question, and patiently waited for Adachi to come to his senses. There was a cross of realization that passed over Adachi's face, and it was accompanied by wide-eyed recognition.

He remembered. Adachi's eyes looked around, scouring the lobby quickly for something, or rather, some_one._

"Where is… Izanami…?" His eyes are sharper, somehow, when he asked that question. Like blades. Like steel knives.

"She's okay." Souji lied. "We're looking for Chie, then we'll be meeting up with her later." It's a lie Souji didn't want to tell, but he had to. For Adachi's sake. For the promise he made to Izanami.

Adachi looks like he doesn't believe him.

"Right." The way he replied only strengthened the idea.

* * *

Izanami-No-Ookami was swung roughly across the grounds of Inaba, crashing loudly on top of a now destroyed Tatsumi Textiles.

* * *

The Investigation Team was running, and running and running. The fog was getting thicker and thicker, clouding their senses, their vision, until they reached the bridge to Mayumi's reality. Souji ran ahead of them all, and kicked open the door, the oak door falling sharply off its hinges, the brittle locks snapping in its rough treatment.

The sight that met Souji's eyes made him freeze in his tracks.

Yosuke Hanamura's body swung slowly from side-to-side, dangling from the scarf noose that had once swung alone and forgotten in this reality. Now, however, there was a body, Yosuke's body. And it dangled slowly from side-to-side.

Beside the body, was a sobbing Chie. Souji's gaze went from the precarious body to the crouching, moping Chie just as the Team filed in slowly behind them. There were gasps, widened eyes, frozen bodies.

Souji walked towards Chie, his gaze staying on Yosuke's precarious, dead position. He knelt down beside the brunette, and immediately, her arms swung around his neck, holding Souji to her. She cried into his collar, tears staining the cloth.

"Chie…" He whispered, gently, and Chie buried her face into his shoulder. Behind them, the Investigation Team had bent their heads, closed their eyes, and tried to force the truth of Yosuke's suicide away. "What happened?"

"S-Souji I…" Chie sniffled, shaking. Souji held her tightly. "I told him… I told Yosuke and he… He…"

She cried.

"It's okay." Souji murmured. Adachi, looked from the ground to the two, frowning. "It's okay. It's okay."

Souji pushed away, placing both hands on her shoulders, looking into Chie's tear-stained face. "Chie," He said, quietly. "I need you, to be strong. We need your help, to defeat the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. I can't force you to run away. You want to fight. Don't let…"

Souji froze, gaze drifting towards Yosuke's body. Then, Souji had started to cry, tears rolling solemnly down his cheeks. "Don't let Yosuke's death be in vain."

* * *

**Terrible week. Save for my birthday, which was on the fifth! :D :D**

**Then I got sick. For two days.**

**TWO DAYS.**

**TWO TERRIBLE, TISSUE FILLED DAYS.**


	49. Adachi

Vindicated

Chapter 49: Adachi

_I am vindicated!_

_I am selfish!_

_I am wrong!_

_I am right!_

_

* * *

_

Chie was still unsteady on her feet, leaning heavily against Souji as they walked away from the Ominous Room, the knowledge of Yosuke's death a fresh, deep scar in their psyche. It just didn't make sense. They all didn't want it to make sense. Yosuke's dangling body was a dark cloud hanging over them all, his body swaying slowly from side-to-side on what he himself had called a creepy noose. Tears rolled solemnly down Chie's cheeks, running like liquid diamonds down a dirty path. The rest of them had cried as well, cried tears over Yosuke's broken body, over the fact that all of this, all of this death and pain and destruction had been caused by the Amatsu-Mikaboshi.

Adachi looked at Chie, then Souji, and thought distantly of Izanami. He wondered where she was, he wondered if she was okay, and he wondered if she had disappeared again, sure that their Mayfly December Romance was going to end in tragedy.

It had been the emergence of a silhouette on the edge of the lobby that had stopped everything. Time. Thoughts. Chie's sobbing.

Isao Takano, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, was leaning heavily on the railing that had encircled the lobby. Adachi froze, paled, recognizing the crumpled outline of a second silhouette that sat by Isao's feet. The figure was pale, beautiful and hauntingly familiar.

It was Izanami, who was crumpled at Isao's feet.

It was Izanami, who laid there, defeated.

The rest of the team had frozen as well, stopping in place, surrounded by the heavy yellow fog that sapped at them all like vampires from folklore, their glasses glinting in the dim light of the studio-like lobby.

Adachi's first thought was about how perverse the scene seemed. Izanami was strong. Powerful. She shouldn't be crumpled at someone's feet. She should be victorious. She was always victorious. He reached for his gun, whipping it out and holding it at eye-level in the blink of an eye.

"Detective Adachi!" Naoto raised a dignified hand. Adachi wanted, so much, at that moment, to smack away that hand. "Don't!"

The Investigation Team roused themselves, heads turning from Adachi to Isao, who was by now smirking to himself, grey eyes crinkled in twisted amusement as he pushed off of the railing, dragging Izanami up by her silver hair. Izanami didn't respond, and acted as if she were a lifeless rag doll. Isao was taunting Adachi, despite the fact that the detective was training a gun on him, prepared to use Isao as target practice.

"Put." Adachi was saying the words through the cracks in his teeth, grinding them the whole time. "Her. Down."

Isao shook Izanami gently, and the goddess acted as if she weren't even alive, her body limp and doll-like in Isao's grasp.

"Why?" He looked at the gun in Adachi's hands with such cat-like wryness. "That toy can't kill me. Your Persona can't even kill me."

In a grand flourish, he threw Izanami to the floor in front of them. The goddess' pale body landed in a heap of snow-white cloth, dirtied by dust and dirt and – Adachi froze at this revelation – blood. Lots of blood. There were places in her robes where the blood blossomed like dark roses, cutting a large swathe into Adachi's heart due to the thoughts that now plagued his being and shook the hands that held the pistol.

_Was she dead?_

_She can't die. She's immortal._

_You idiot. You idiot, you let her die! It's your fault!_

His hands trembled tumultuously. The Investigation Team was staring at Izanami's lifeless body, coming to the same thoughts that now plagued Adachi viciously like locusts on wheat. Adachi felt as if he'd been thrown into the Ninth Circle of Hell, plunging into the frozen waters that Satan was encrusted in.

Adachi pushed viciously on the trigger, his fear and distress giving way to blinding, unadulterated rage.

The gun trembled, the bullet jumped through and dug into Isao's shoulder, causing the god to stagger backwards, grasping the wounded shoulder while still smirking that insufferable smile. The Investigation Team, or really, Souji, jumped forward, ripping Adachi's from the gun. And the pistol fell to the ground with a deafening clatter.

Adachi stared down at it, eyes wide and shoulders now trembling not with shock or sorrow, but with pure, dark, and angry wrath.

"You _bastard!" _He pushed Souji away, batting the silver-haired boy away as if he were nothing but an insignificant little fly. Adachi pushed past the Investigation Team, punching Naoto in the face when she tried to stop him, sending the blue-haired girl to the floor as he approached the now laughing Isao Takano.

Adachi lifted a fist back, and Isao made no attempt to get out of the way, only smiling and smiling at Adachi's rage and depression. The black-haired detective's fist connected with Isao's jaw and the two went tumbling in a heap. Adachi punched. Again and again and again, flecks of blood spattering across his knuckles, Adachi's face, his clothes. And the detective simply didn't care. He only cared about blood. About drawing this bastard's blood. About killing this bastard.

Souji had jumped back into action, grabbing Adachi's wrist as the man pulled back for another punch. With his other hand, Adachi swung a punch at Souji, only to have that wrist grabbed by a very weak, very pale, very cold hand.

"Stop." Whispered Izanami. Her voice cracked, sounded musty, but Izanami's voice alone was enough the pull Adachi from his rage, sharply. Everyone was staring at Izanami, unaware that the goddess had moved from her spot on the floor to stand beside this war between Isao and Adachi.

Adachi stopped, still standing on top of Isao, who was now cackling like a maniac, like a comedian who laughs at his own jokes. Adachi was crying now, his head bent low, the tears rolling solemnly down his cheeks like liquid diamonds, like a river of sun that was pressed warmly against his cheeks. With Souji and Izanami both holding his wrists, and Isao beneath him laughing himself mad, the scene unfolded strangely, awkwardly.

Isao brought a knee sharply upwards, kneeing Adachi's stomach and causing the detective to roll off of him, groaning slightly. Adachi leapt to his feet with odd ease, an ease that had been practiced in the months of being in the television.

The months of fighting and wondering and dying to get to this point. To face this person.

The bullet-hole in Isao's shoulder weaved itself back to normality, the skin folding and unfolding and stitching together, healing. He hadn't been lying. Adachi's gun wasn't going to kill this monster.

What happened next, none of them, not even Izanami, had been expecting. Isao moved in a blur, and suddenly, Adachi found his throat held tightly in Isao's fingers.

The last thing Adachi saw was two glinting grey eyes.

* * *

The Investigation Team had been too frozen in horror to move when they saw what happened next. Isao's fingers were curled tightly around Adachi's throat, choking the man and then… and then… to the Investigation Team, what happened next would've been too horrible to describe.

Isao began to fade away, his skin peeling off as if it were melting, giving way to an expanse of complete and total darkness that seemed endless. It was as if the man were turning into a gas, fading away into nothing. The gas, the pitch-black darkness curled around Adachi quickly, crawling around and around the man's body like some demented serpent. The darkness became a part of Adachi, and the detective dropped to the ground like a stone. A resounding thud, the thud of Adachi's body falling into line with the chalk outlines on the lobby floor, brought the horrified team to their senses.

Souji sprang into action, bending down beside Adachi…

Only to find the barrel of Adachi's pistol pressed rapidly to his forehead. Souji's mouth parted, and from the corner of Adachi's face, the corner that Souji could see, a twisted smirk curled wolfishly across the man's face.

"Senpai!" Naoto whipped Souji to the side, and Adachi's body limply drew itself to full height, bearing a waving pistol and a maniacal, eerily familiar grin.

His eyes, which had once been a dark black, were now a glinting gray, an omniscient silver. This man, this monster, this insane fool was not Adachi. It was the Amatsu-Mikaboshi. The form the Amatsu-Mikaboshi had used to trick them all into framing Adachi, into using Adachi for his campaign against humanity, and all the sinners that lied within.

What Naoto said next, was an echo of her words in Magatsu Inaba,

"Allow me," She wrenched Souji upwards so he could stand, thin fingers pressed sharply against his elbow. "To confirm the crimes you have committed."

"Oh, _enough." _The Amatsu-Mikaboshi, acting as Adachi, spread his arms out wide as if he were a bird. "We're not acting anymore. We're not playing a stupid game, Shirogane, you _sinner, _so just don't even."

Naoto clenched her jaw tightly, and ignored the Mikaboshi's words, "You have killed five people, framed an innocent and now vindicated man, allowed that man to dupe another into doing your dirty work, used Izanami, your own mother, into taking the blame and led all of us into a false sense of security."

She glared, a glare that seemed colder than any arctic land, than any freezing river,

"If I am a sinner," Her fists clenched. "Then what does that make _you?"_

Amatsu-Mikaboshi giggled, Adachi's voice ringing out eerily amongst the lobby, "I am the judge. I judge those that have committed crimes and I _destroy _them. All of you have committed crimes, as did those I killed. I'm doing this for the _sake of humanity. _All those sinners, all those murderers, those killers, those poor Fools that believe they can grasp vindication… they deserve their fates."

The monster shook his head, letting a dark smile wrap over his face, and continued, his voice sounding so much like Adachi's that it horrified the rest of them, "I'm building a better world. I'm cleansing this place of its sins, of the darkness that wraps so slowly around everyone. If they could accept their Shadows, accept their darkness and repent… then I would have no purpose. I wouldn't have to do this. I could just rest forever in Yomi, happy and content with the world…"

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi made a snort of disgust, a leering sneer spreading rapidly over his face, "But that will never happen. Humanity's very _**existence **_is a sin. Everything they do: a _**sin. **_The most logical course of action, well…" Here, the monster laughed, so happily, as if this were something to be joyous about. "There are things in this world that must be purged, and, unfortunately, this world's very _**existence **_is the thing that _will _be purged. Whether you like it or not."

"Well, we ain't ever gonna like it!" Kanji yelled, bellowing, his voice an angry ring in the lobby. "And we're gonna beat you shitless until you stop this!"

The Amatsu-Mikaboshi, using Adachi's hand, ran a hand through tangled and messy black hair, smiling that goofy smile that had once always been on the detective's face until after Magatsu Inaba, and said, ever so matter-of-factly,

"Oh, I don't think you'd want to do that. You kill me, and stupid little Adachi-chan dies too."

That stopped them.

"No…" Souji whispered, his voice had been so quiet, that no one would've known he said it if they hadn't seen his lips move. "First… Yosuke and now… no…"

"But of course," That smirk… it held traces of monstrosity and madness and the undertone of demons. "You guys would do _**anything **_to save the damn world, right? Even if it meant losing a _**friend? **_A repentant but oh-so-very resentful man who didn't deserve to die? Or… wouldn't you?"

Souji bent his head down, his fists tightened into tiny balls of fury, "Everyone," His voice rang as clear as church bells in the morning. "Get ready."

"Souji-kun…" Yukiko.

"Senpai…" Rise had started crying.

"Souji…" It was Chie, who sounded catatonic.

"I see… then so be it." Naoto was the one who kept her shit together.

That monster, that behemoth of an anti-Christ, just laughed at them, head arching backwards as if he were staring up at the clouds. The Investigation Team encircled the bastard, weapons and items and Cards pulled out as slowly as if they were stitching a nice, fuzzy blanket for their grandchildren.

And not getting prepared to murder a friend to save the world.

Amatsu-Mikaboshi, acting as Adachi, pulled out the detective's Persona Card from an inside coat pocket, a smirk, a dark, evil smirk spreading across his face as if he'd expected them to fight and not too run.

"You all really are," He said, twirling the card between his fingers languidly. "The most self-righteous bunch."

In a grandiose motion, the Persona Card was crushed, and gasps of silver curled from his fist as his Persona rose up behind him, standing like a looming sentinel, a guardian.

However, not many would consider the Magatsu-Izanagi a guardian nor a sentinel.

The twisted version of Izanagi cracked and glinted with every pulse, those pulsating cracks looking very much like lightning as they twisted in the monster's form. The Magatsu-Izanagi held his scythe backwards, red eyes glowing like unrefined rubies.

"Everyone!" Souji called out to them, as their leader, as their paragon. "This is the end!"

* * *

"_When Justice appears, it should be taken as a stern reminder of the deeds of the past. The deeds of the past form the foundation for the present and future."_

_

* * *

_

"Izanagi-No-Ookami!" Gasps of silver wisps ran between Souji's fingers. A guardian appeared solemnly behind Souji, standing there, floating in the mid-air pointedly, a god of all that was hope and righteousness. The others made a move to attack the NotAdachi, but Souji flung out an arm, his head hanging low and spoke a command that he had only just thought of,

"Wait."

The Investigation Team had stopped, and all of them, even the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, looked at him confusedly. Souji let solemn tears run down his cheeks.

"This is my battle." He said. "Just me and him." The arm Souji had swung out in a motion to stop them all fell to his side limply like a dead body. And, bitterly, the group stepped back, cursing and swearing at their supposed leader. But Souji was right.

This was _his _quarrel. This was for Adachi, for Yosuke, for all those that had been killed in the murders.

They stayed there, eyes shut and heads bent and tears rolling as if this were a damned soap opera.

Here, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi began to cackle, body trembling with each tumultuous laugh, every shake in his voice, every deep dip in the laughter. His eyes gleamed a demon-like red, a shadowy, wolfish yellow before dipping back into somber grey.

There was nothing of Adachi in the man's body.

* * *

Tohru Adachi waded through a sea of darkness, legs aching with every movement, his skin drenched with dark waters as he walked through the endless abyss, unaware or even conscious of where he was going. He knew he just needed to go. He needed to go somewhere, anywhere, anywhere that wasn't Inaba or wasn't the Television World or wasn't with Izanami.

His impulse told him to just go. Walk, wade, wander through this seemingly endless patch of darkness until he reached the middle of nowhere or the bowels of Hell. It didn't matter. He simply needed to go.

Trembling with every movement, every raised leg, every harsh breath in the darkness, the detective wondered distantly where he was. The sea seemed to suck at his energy like vampires, drag him down and pull him under.

He couldn't see anything, the entire area, as far as the eye could see, was all pitch-black. It was a void, an endless abyss that only stretched on and on forever and ever. It was his Occam's Razor. It defined his inability to discover anything.

Adachi turned around, the water hissing and shifting with his every movement beneath him. He froze, a flash of light catching his interest and without thinking, without pausing to think of something rational, something William of Occam would've thought to do, the black-haired man bolted towards the light.

He wasn't sure what drew his towards the light besides his blatant inability to think things through under pressure, to slip under pressure, but Adachi just ran, his body screaming at him to stop and rest, to give in to the rising waters that were now up to his waist.

Adachi regretted not listening to his instincts when he saw what came next.

* * *

Souji tumbled out of the way, his two-handed sword held languidly in one hand as he dodged the Almighty attack that had been thrown carelessly his way. Souji gritted his teeth. The Amatsu-Mikaboshi was _playing _with him.

"Izanagi-No-Ookami!" The silver and white guardian drew towards him, holding his double-ended blade silently. Souji knew just what to do to destroy this monster. "Myriad Truths!"

Truth gathered around the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, crushing the monster using Adachi's body. An arm snapped, but there was no scream. It was as if the Amatsu-Mikaboshi were completely and totally numb. A bullet was shot, and Souji tumbled to the ground when the bullet tore a hole in the top of Souji's shoulder, twisting the teen sideways onto the ground. The teen quickly pulled himself back up, arm jolting in pain and groaning in protest as he forced himself back into the fray. The Investigation Team was screaming at him, crying at him, begging him to let them fight.

Souji wouldn't let them. Bubbles of blood boiled up his throat, and he spat on the ground, the blood gushing angrily from the nick in his shoulder, staining his white shirt. Silver eyes glared into morose grey, frown met wolfish smile.

The Magatsu-Izanagi heaved slightly, cracks pulsating as he buffed the Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the battle style used was eerily reminiscent of the one in Magatsu Inaba.

* * *

Adachi jumped, backing away, the dark waters hissing in protest. Yellow eyes locked onto the detective quietly, the mouth on the doppelganger twisted into a cross and sour frown. Shadow Adachi stared at Adachi placidly, as if the detective meant absolutely nothing at all.

"It's okay," The Shadow's whisper was barely audible, but to Adachi, it screamed in his ears. "It's okay."

"Screw you!" Adachi reached for a pistol that wasn't there, and his fingers found only air. He glared at the Shadow, resorting to his tongue than his weapon. "I've already accepted you!"

The Shadow sighed, head bent low, yellow eyes narrowing into slight slit, "It's okay to die." Adachi shook as the Shadow spoke. "We've got nothing for us in our life. If we die… it'll all be okay."

"What are you talking about?"

The Shadow chuckled, a sad, solemn and distant chuckle, one that wasn't meant to sound humored or amused, one that sounded absolutely hopeless, "We're not gonna get out of this alive. The Amatsu-Mikaboshi's got us under his thumb and you're not gonna get out and Seta's not going to win if you don't accept the fact that you're going to die."

"I…" Adachi trembled, and his voice stuttered, stunted. "I don't want to die!"

"You'll have your repentance, your vindication, a quelled inner demon." Shadow Adachi watched him owlishly, eyes gleaming with the dark yellow of maliciousness that marked him as an inner demon. "Just say the words."

"No…" Adachi truly meant it. "No! I don't want to die!"

* * *

Souji fell to the ground, his body smattered with cuts and gashes. The Investigation Team charged in, weapons out and morals bared like sharp fangs. Souji blinked, and for a second, believed he'd heard Yosuke's voice in the shell of his ear,

"_C'mon, partner, you've got nothing to lose!" _He could see a smile, a glimpse of the Yosuke that had wanted to act as second-banana. _"We've come this far!"_

* * *

"They're all going to die if you don't accept it." Shadow Adachi shook his head, arms crossed. "And you'll still never get out of here."

Adachi bent his head low, and a millennium seemed to pass before he whispered his answer,

"Fine. Fine!" A rivulet of water escaped his tear duct, rolling onto the sea of darkness, sending ripples across the surface.

* * *

They were all at his mercy.

Their bodies battered, their bared morals destroyed, their lives worthless if they couldn't save the world. Then, suddenly, the Amatsu-Mikaboshi's body arched backwards, and darkness escaped the body, sending Adachi's body to the ground like a fallen stone. The Investigation Team was forced to their feet, and they ran towards the detective's body, but Izanami pushed herself to the helm.

The goddess was unusually quiet, and Adachi's eyes twitched before he opened them to stare up at Izanami.

She looked down, sad, and Adachi finally understood.

"Are you ready?" Her voice a barely audible whisper.

"Yes."

Souji was the one to interject, "Wait? Ready for what?"

Adachi turned his head from Izanami's gaze to reach Souji's, "I need to die, or else the Amatsu-Mikaboshi's going to take back my body. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

"You can't!" A girl in the group, though Adachi was unsure who.

"Bullshit!"

"Detective Adachi…"

Adachi curled his fingers in Souji's collar, "This world you guys have, this self-righteous world, enjoy it. Enjoy the world you've saved and don't… don't you ever… don't you ever let go of these ideals. You guys gave me a chance…" he twitched, twisting slightly, and his black eyes dimmed to a grey before forcing back to black. "A chance to prove my vindication…"

His last words scarred them all,

"Thank you."


	50. Epilogue: Vindicated

Vindicated

Chapter 50: Epilogue: Vindicated

_Kiss away the difference…_

_I know you hate this one…_

_But this is how the story ends…_

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_December 31st 2020_

_9:13 AM_

_8 Years Later_

Snow curled delicately in the air like tiny fairies, blown haphazardly by a tiny gust of wind that chilled the cheek of a tiny little girl who in turn, rubbed her frozen cheek, shivering coldly. Her tiny hand, which was held inside of her mother's palm pulled lightly. The mother turned her head towards the little girl, looking slightly exasperated.

"Mommy," Asked Reiko Satonaka, curling her nose slightly. "Why are we here?"

Chie sighed, and looked up at her gray-haired husband, who shot his beautiful wife a small smile. He turned to Reiko, knelt down and ruffled the small girl's head of long golden-brown hair.

"It's a memorial, Rei-chan." Replied Souji, he glanced up at Chie's exasperated and harried face. "A lot of our friends died here."

"Did they come back as ghosts…?" Reiko looked oddly fascinated, her large brown eyes twinkling with excitement. "'Cause Gin-kun said that people come back as ghosts when they die!"

Ginki Shirogane was Naoto and Kanji's son. He was an oddly enthusiastic boy, determined to be a detective just like his mother. The twin daughter, Ren, was more into sewing and the feminine aspect of their parents' heritage.

"No," Chie sounded said as she replied, unknowingly squeezing Reiko's hand. "No. They aren't ghosts."

Souji looked up at his wife, knowing full well the reason she had to be sad. Yosuke's suicide had left a lasting impression on them all, an impression that caused nightmares and tears to be shed. Chie sighed, and looked at the giant statue that marked the memorial.

The statue was of Yasogami High's symbol, made of pure gold that had rusted slightly over the years due to the fact that it still rained commonly in Inaba, and it still fogged as well. The memorial was to commemorate the day that half of Inaba was destroyed due to a strange explosion. The sighting of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi had been written off as a mass hallucination, caused by the tension and stress of watching Inaba be destroyed.

Inaba had rebuilt. For a few years, the little town had been so united, so brought together by the tragedy of almost all of Inaba being destroyed.

The Investigation Team had been brought together by the tragedy of losing Adachi and Yosuke. Their names had been engraved into the memorial, little carvings on the plaque just beneath the Yasogami High symbol.

_Tohru Adachi_

_Yosuke Hanamura_

Souji stared at the memorial, those two names blurring into several others as he stared and stared. They had deserved more than this. Yosuke had betrayed them, yes, but had done so for a reason that Souji couldn't blame him for. Adachi had sacrificed himself so that the Amatsu-Mikaboshi would be gone forever. Souji dipped his head, a few seraphims of snow dancing across his cheek. He had shed many tears for them over the years. He would never be able to forget those years that he had spent solving a murder case alongside his friends.

Chie placed a svelte hand on her large stomach, smiling sadly at her husband. She and Souji had built a future together, raising Yosuke's daughter, Reiko, getting married and getting prepared to expect their own son, which they had planned to name Toru. Obviously, after those that had been lost. Chie hadn't given up on her dream of being a police officer, growing to become one of the best detectives in the Inaba area.

The others had built a future together as well. Naoto and Kanji had had twins almost a year after Chie had her daughter, not really to anyone's surprise. They had all expected the two to get married, sooner or later. Naoto was often gone, however, out on cases in other countries and Kanji ran the newly built Tatsumi Textiles, making a fortune on plush dolls. He always waited for her. Ginki and Ren did too.

Rise had gone on to continue her singing career, dabbling a little in acting every now and then. She'd been dating this American actor, and Rise seemed absolutely smitten with him. Truthfully, the rest of them expected Rise to get married soon, the way she went on and on about how great he was. Really, she acted like a silly schoolgirl.

Teddie managed to land a modeling career, and yet, the Shadow seemed greatly depressed about Yosuke's death, almost to the point where he'd begun neglecting his appearance. They had tried to pull Teddie through it, but Yosuke had left so big of an impression on the Shadow.

Yukiko continued to quietly run the Amagi Inn, visiting Chie often so much that Reiko had begun calling Yukiko 'Aunt Yuki'. She'd gotten engaged to, of all people, Naoki Konishi and was expecting a quiet marriage later on in life.

The Hanamura family mourned their son's loss so much that Yosuke's father had ended up leaving the management of Junes. Eventually, Junes actually closed in Inaba, and the Shopping District flourished again.

Dojima had been struck harshly by Adachi's death, to the point that the man actually cried in front of Souji, but life had gone on, and Dojima paid attention to Nanako more than ever, to the point where the now teenage Nanako often complained about her father doing background checks on her boyfriends.

Yes, life had gone on without their lost friends. But still, the Investigation Team often talked fondly about the memories of the case, about how they'd been duped into thinking Adachi was the killer, about Izanami and Adachi and their not-so-dubious relationship, about Yosuke and his issue with getting hit in the nads, about the Summer Camp of doom. (The memories brought shivers to Souji's spine about the million showers that never made him ever clean again.)

Souji turned towards his family, and held out a hand.

"Ready to go home?"

His pregnant wife simply smiled and nodded.

Inside the car, where the Toyota rumbled to life as lively as a piece of shit rustbucket could, Reiko asked, in her quiet, curious little voice,

"Daddy?"

Pulling the Toyota out of parking, he fixed the mirror so he could see Reiko's also quiet, curious little face in the mirror and smiled down at her, replying,

"Yes?"

Reiko squirmed a little in her car seat, pulling on the seatbelt hurriedly.

"Who died?"

Souji's hands froze on the wheel, and Chie shot him a slightly distraught look. Reiko knew nothing about her real father, though Souji knew she would start asking when she realized how unlike Souji she looked. Her face shape, her eyes, her hair, everything about her screamed Yosuke Hanamura. And the fact was incredibly somber.

"Two very good friends." Souji said, instead, driving down the road to their little house on the outskirts of Inaba. Their little family descended into silence after that, and nothing more was said about Souji and Chie's two very good friends.

At least, not until they were right outside the family's little loft.

"What kind of friends?" Asked Reiko, holding onto her mother's hand as tightly as a beggar would to a large amount of yen. "Were they like Auntie Naoto and Uncle Kanji and Risette-chan and Aunt Yuki?" She sounded so curious, so innocent.

Souji shot his wife a very exasperated glance.

Reiko grinned suddenly, as if she remembered something, "Oh! Were they like Adachi-kun!"

Souji froze, as if he'd been suddenly assailed by Medusa and turned into a stone statue. Oh, if only Reiko knew.

"Where did you hear that name?" He asked, solemnly opening the door with jingling keys. Chie was staring at her daughter with a pained expression, bitter and solemn all the same. Reiko hadn't mentioned Yosuke.

Reiko grinned, unaware that she had said anything insensitive or unwanted, and replied happily, "Uncle Kanji said that name while he was tellin' me a story so I was wondering if Adachi-kun and that other friend had died!"

Souji ushered his daughter inside and Reiko hastily shrugged off her heavy winter jacket. Chie filed in, slowly, closing the door.

"Yes," He replied, hiding the undertone of sadness in his voice. Like always, he told himself, Reiko was too young to know about Yosuke. Too young to know about Chie and Souji's ability to go into the television. Too young to grasp the idea of Shadows or murders or bodies dangling on twisted telephone wires. "They were like Adachi-san."

No more questions were asked. Their little family went about their usual routine. Souji drank coffee and acted the pen pusher for his paperwork in his study. Chie read a novel on the couch, occasionally pausing to smile and rub at her large stomach. Reiko went upstairs and played video games and chatted with friends on the phone.

Life seemed perfect.

Until it was time for dinner, and Reiko was restlessly poking about the okonomiyaki on her plate with chopsticks, one hand propping up her chin.

"Daddy?"

Souji looked up, halfway through getting a piece of rice into his mouth.

"What?"

"What kind of people were Adachi-kun and that other guy?"

Chie laid down her chopsticks, shooting her husband a very distressed look. Souji exchanged the look with her, before responding,

"Yosuke-kun. The other guy's name was Yosuke-kun."

Reiko picked about the rice and noodles with her chopsticks, still looking rather bored.

"Oh, okay." She stabbed a noodle with one of her chopsticks. "What kind of people were Adachi-kun and Yosuke-kun?"

Souji blinked, unsure of how to approach the answer to her question. Then, he thought of an answer.

"Misunderstood." He popped a piece of okonomiyaki into his mouth with a grandiose flourish. "They were both very misunderstood. But they went about their paths differently. One of them went down a bad path in life. The other, a good path."

"Who went down the bad one and the good one?"

Souji shot his daughter a rather wry smile, "You figure it out."

Reiko's hand went from her chin to slap on the table. "That's not fair!"

It was at that moment, that the doorbell rang. An echoing sound, it startled the family at its abruptness.

"Reiko-chan," Chie poked about her food listlessly. "Could you get that?"

Reiko huffed, and puffed, before heading to the door and sliding it open. She looked up at the two figures in her doorway curiously, cocking her head to the side.

"Um… who are you?"

The woman in white and the vindicated man simply stared down at her, smiling.

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The End

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**Here we are, reviewers, readers, favoriters, alerters. The end of Vindicated. The final chapter. The climax. The resolution.**

**I want to take this moment to thank each and every one of you personally who have reviewed this story. Vindicated just… wouldn't be Vindicated without you guys. Really. I'm serious.**

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**Thanks for everything! :D**


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